The Gym and its Path to the Soul

Now who would put the words gym and soul together? I know I certainly never would… that was until last week.

Last week was the first time I have been to a gym to do weight training in over 20 years. I have been exercising regularly over the past couple of years; cardio, walking, hand weights, stretching, connective tissue exercises, but I hadn’t yet ventured to the gym. The idea of a trip to the gym always seemed ‘a bit too hard’. Not being sure of where to go or what to do, going to the gym went on the ‘some day’ list.

I have been staying with some friends who offered to assist me to get friendly once again with the ins and outs of the gym. I eagerly took up the offer – my ‘some day’ had finally arrived.

I trained regularly at the gym when I was a student at University, doing weights and classes 4 – 5 times a week. At the time I wasn’t aware, but the main focus of going to the gym was to improve my body image and to offer myself relief from feeling the depths of disregard I was living in. Working hard at the gym offered me an opportunity to numb out even more so as not to feel the underlying stress and sadness that was really there in my body that I was choosing to ignore. The gym gave me a momentary high and a relief from feeling where I really was at.

I was a heavy drinker and my diet, well, that was something to be sneezed at. It consisted of fatty foods from the University cafeteria with minimal vegetables apart from lots of potatoes. So to keep me in shape I would spend hours pumping iron, increasing my cardio levels striving for the perfect figure, to feel good about myself, to bury my lack of self-worth and to not feel the pain of how I was living at the time, which included late nights of partying with copious amounts of alcohol, long hours working in pubs and restaurants as well as studying full-time.

I didn’t like myself very much although I would never have admitted it at the time. Going to the gym was a way of pushing my body hard so I wouldn’t have to feel the hurt of the un-dealt with issues that I was still carrying from my childhood.

Fast forward twenty years, I am now, thanks to Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness, living my life where I take good care of myself. I go to bed early, I rest when I need to, I eat in a way that supports my body and I no longer drink alcohol, eat sugar or have caffeine. I work on dealing with my issues when they arise rather than burying them and I am open in my relationships. Generally I feel pretty awesome, a far cry from how I felt back in those University days.

I have recently had an inclination that there was more I could be doing to support my body. I had been feeling that I had developed a certain level of connection of my mind being with my body (conscious presence) in my exercise and daily activities, however, at times there was still a sense of this sometimes being a bit soft in my body. I had a sense that weight training may support me in this next stage of development but what I didn’t realise is just HOW supportive this was going to be.

So last week, as I sat on the weights machine for the first time in 20 years, the thought dropped in, “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.

There are certain qualities that I have been focusing on over several years such as being gentle and tender, but what I feel has been missing is the power and the strength. My first session at the gym revealed to me the opportunity to deeply connect with feeling the physicality of my body with the machine weights. I connected with my body through feeling every muscle that I worked, choosing to lift them in a way that honored the whole of my body, all the while being aware of breathing gently.

I enjoyed working my muscles, feeling their strength, feeling which muscles lengthened and which ones contracted.

It felt super joyful and powerful to claim my body, not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.

So it became apparent to me on that day last week at the gym, that we can use the body in two different ways.

We can use the body as a means to give us temporary relief, to make us feel better for a short time to relieve the pain and hurt of what may be undercurrent in our lives most of the time OR we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.

My trip to the gym confirmed the latter.

I am now planning to incorporate the gym as part of my weekly routine as a way to deepen my connection with my body in a way that I have been missing, which is building strength so that I can express more fully the inner strength that innately resides within me and equally within us all.

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A country girl born and bred, now residing in the big smoke of Sydney, Australia. I love nature and in particular playing at the beach in the ocean deciding whether to jump over a wave or under it. I love colour, sparkles, pretty dresses and have recently rediscovered the joy and beauty of playing piano.

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708 Comments

Elaine Arthey says:December 15, 2015 at 7:07 pm

Great to read this as I am contemplating a return to the gym myself. I also feel to strengthen my body and know how lovely it can feel when we exercise gently and not from a push or a drive but from a place of stillness and true power.

Yes Elaine, it’s so awesome I agree, and I loved how Donna expressed about building strength for your body to enhouse what you hold sacred to you. It beats doing gym ‘to be strong and big’ and ‘look good’. Building strength in total respect to every mm of your body is a delight to feel the actual harmony within which supports you the whole day.

This totally does away with any belief that to have a divine sacred being in our body we are not part or embracing all of human life in someway. In fact it is quite the opposite. To be honouring our divinity we actually do have to embrace human life in full

Yes Elaine, I have just returned to the gym after a break for around 4 years and I am enjoying feeling connected to my body in a new way and supporting it for what it needs to do. I loved this line today – “not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am”. Hear Hear Sister.

Since I wrote this article, I have now been going to the gym regularly for around 6 months and it has made such a difference to how I feel in my body. I feel much stronger and more powerful. My visits to the gym are not one bit about what I look like, but rather about how I feel and the inner strength and support my workouts offers me.

What a fabulous journey and unfolding you have been part of Donna. Thank you for sharing. I can relate- once upon a time I worked hard at the gym and did martial arts which hardened my body incredibly. Now I exercise in connection with my body and with conscious presence. The two experiences are worlds apart as is the body I now carry. I can feel my light emanate through my walk and I feel all of me as I move. It’s delicious.

I too used to exercise really hard, not feeling like I had ‘achieved’ anything if I had not felt pain throughout the gym session or felt it afterwards. This has now changed, where I do exercise much more gently and with conscious presence, along with doing some weights, not to pump iron, but to feel strong within, this feels very supportive.

Yes Joel, what you say shows that there is a balance where we do just the amount needed in response to what is required and what the body is able to do – without over-doing. The only way we can know where that balance lays is to listen to the body and respond. For example, I notice that when eating, even if I have one mouthful too much I can feel my body doesn’t agree with it. I can feel the moment that the meal is done but then a certain willfulness can come in which overrides that knowing and I have that mouthful, partly because I have been conditioned to eat everything on my plate and partly because of an indulgence to satisfy my taste buds. Here’s where I can take more responsibility by being very aware when I serve the food up as to how much the body actually needs rather than how much I would want to eat.

Beautifully written Sandra, food is a great example, my body knows exactly where to stop eating, but I often override that with looking for satisfaction or a certain taste after a meal, but I have to go back to earlier on, and ask myself where was I before the meal, was I present with my body and with my actions when I was eating?
When I’m not present with my body, whether I’m eating or exercising I am not listening to my bodies very clear messages of when its had or done enough, then its easy to abuse my body, in contrast when I am loving and gentle and listen to my body it always supports me.

Aah it’s in the serving up as well. Thank you….that will support not having to ‘finish my plate’ because I can connect to my body at the point of serving and say how much would you like to eat today. And Donna, thanks for the reminder about the gym and strengthening your body as it is the vehicle for the soul and for being so honest about how your life has been and where it is at. I could feel no blame/shame as you shared the story but just where you were and now where you are.

Often times, when I go to the gym I see people treating their bodies similar to the way the horse rider treats a a savage horse. It is like the enemy that has to be conquered. The body is then all muscles and they pride themselves of how it looks like. They walk tough, they breath tough. It is all about not feeling where they are at.

There is definitely a way to be gyming that supports the body and a way that does not. I find that the conquering, achievement, relief, strutting and recognition that occurs at the gym is just a reflection of a way of being at the gym that has nothing to do with being present and in connection with the body but more to do with how this body will get me seen.

I agree, Donna, it is amazing how we can do the ‘same thing’, but it can be completely different in the feel, the outcome and in the depth of it, if we do it for outside recognition, or if we do it with a self-loving and self-caring intention of building the strength we need to be able to bring all of ourselves to what life demands of us, or more precisely, to be ready to be all we are when the call comes, when there is a job to be done.

Beautifully said Esther. How we do something all comes down to a choice in the end, and that is whether it is loving or not. When we choose to do whatever it is we do “with a self-loving and self-caring intention of building the strength we need to be able to bring all of ourselves to what life demands of us, or more precisely, to be ready to be all we are when the call comes, when there is a job to be done.”

Lucinda Garthwaite says:December 21, 2015 at 5:55 am

I swim at my local university twice a week, this particular University is very sports orientated and has a huge gym area, i have often observed young athletes exercising here, watching how their bodies shudder under the pressure of the weights, the pain on their faces and force that is applied to the body again and again. Indeed Eduardo this relationship with the body is punishing, the muscles are taught and the hard exterior hides the tender sweet being within.

Yes Lucinda, it’s huge, how many men now believe they have to have a body like Arnold Schwazenegger to measure up. To me those bulky muscles do feel like a protective layer around their hearts. Body image issues for men are becoming very prevalent. Healthy muscle tone on the other hand is beautiful and feels very self-loving and self-honouring.

And unfortunately Lucinda, this is supported by an industry that encourages this type of training, where lifting heavy weights that strain the body is an accepted part of the process of getting “fit”. The compromise in this is on our health, as the strain involved in lifting beyond our means makes our muscles shorter and our bodies have to numb and harden to cope. A prime example of where fitness does not relate to health and wellbeing.

This is an all too familiar picture in gyms accross the country and I know from experience that even when you are trying to simply exercise at your own level it is all too easy to slip into looking in the mirrors and beginning to make comparisons and begin to push yourself.

Yes Eduardo, exercising hard to get bigger stronger muscles is like locking ourselves up in a cage. We restrict the possibilities to feel open and expansive, instead looking for relief with the pain of straining our bodies. It has taken me a while but I am starting to let go of the need to be seen lifting heavy weights and instead work on lengthening the body and increasing my ability to connect to the whole of me as I move.

It’s true what you say here Stephen as I have experienced exactly what you’ve shared both ways. When pushing the body and over doing it with the weights for days after I hurt, focusing solely on the pain and nothing more so as to not feel anything else other than the sore muscles. But working with the body and stopping when it felt to, not overworking the muscles with the weights afterwards I felt lighter, brighter, taller and more committed to life. Using exercise in this way brings vitality and is the complete opposite of ‘train hard’ standard of exercise.

That’s a great analogy Stephen. The muscly built up body is exactly like a cage, a way to hide how delicate and tender we are. The cage locks and buries the person deep inside and at the same time prevents others from getting too close. Except, of course, when the cage and the person inside is seen for who they truly are so that the illusion of the cage can be shattered in a moment.

Eduardo that is a full on description of how people relate to their body but we do see this everywhere. If its not at the gym, it is on the footpath slogging it out for a ‘run’ or cycling until one is exhausted. I once had this man tell me he used to cycle until he literally couldn’t walk. When he was in palliative care he shared with me that he did in fact know he was running from himself, which is exactly what you have shared – ‘not feeling where he was at’.

There is definitely something very powerful and positive in making our exercise about working with our bodies, not fighting them or trying to overcome them. It is very much like our experiences of ill health, we don’t need to battle a cold or an infection, if we accept it is a result of our choices then we can work with our body to restore it to wellness. The gym can be the same, we can go to build our bodies and not break them down, then there is no fight, just an increased understanding of how we function and how going to the gym can play a role in making us vital and energised.

I agree Stephen – to work with our bodies rather than against them to mould them into an ideal – is to honour our bodies first.
I love gym, and I have loved understanding how to work with my body rather than against it. It feels so very different to exercise in this way and develop a whole new relationship with gym – not based on the mind but on the body

And this is such a different way of working with the body. When I am at the gym enjoying my connection to my body, it feels like it is an unknown secret that I want to tell everyone about “hey, just connect and it’s so much more fun”. I often feel the sadness in people at the gym and feel how people are pushing themselves so as not to feel what is really going on for them.

Rik Connors says:December 30, 2015 at 10:40 am

That’s ‘huge’ Eduardo what you have claimed. I agree no more needs to said!

It can be very competitive too. I know people, when on treadmills, that push themselves to go faster than the next person, rather than connect to their own bodies and choose a pace right for them and their energy levels

And it is the competitiveness that often leads people to drop out of exercise. Exercise shouldn’t be competitive, it should be about enjoying simple movement, anyone can do that, unfortunately we have been brought up to believe that exercise is about being the best, that in itself is hugely discouraging. Exercise is for everyone, and incredibly enjoyable when done as a means to build our bodies stronger, longer and more supple in a gentle yet consistent way.

When we let go of ideals and beliefs around exercise and allow ourselves to be guided by what our body feels, we see that the body knows exactly what to do, how much and when.

Shirley-Ann Walters says:January 14, 2016 at 4:47 pm

Lovely words Stephen, thank you, yes I agree. I have been so put off by the lovelessness of competition in the sporting world, so this feels like music in my ears.

jane176 says:February 8, 2016 at 5:18 pm

So often people are competing against themselves, trying to get personal bests, lift more weights, etc, I know this was how I chose to exercise in the past. All of this takes them further away from their connection with their body and from the truth of exercise as Donna shared ‘my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.’

Absolutely Eduardo, I must admit I have often been shocked by the way people treat themselves in the gym. As I write this I realise that it probably reflects an unloving way with themselves 24/7 that is very visible in that setting. It has rather put me off I must admit, but I realise doing nothing is probably unloving too.

Yes, it feels like people ‘take it out’ on their bodies, using exercise as a form of punishment of themselves. I often hear people say things like “no pain, no gain”, “I’m going to flog myself today”, “it nearly killed me but I did it”. Hurting oneself to not feel the hurt. (I know this because I did it too)

That is so true Jeanette ‘hurting oneself to not feel the hurt. Feeling pain is feeling something as some people are not able to feel other sensations in the body because of the numbness they choose to live with.

So true Eduardo and what a great analogy. How people can get into that mentality that it is all about looks, getting the tough and tight body, ‘hard body’ to ensure you ‘look’ healthy. I know it has taken me a long time to learn to love my wobbly bits, that it is ok, to not have incredibly toned legs and arms, which are all that we get shown in magazines and tv. But in the process of learning to love those parts of my body, I have found a gentler more loving way to exercise, not feeling like I have to pound away at the gym.

“It is all about not feeling where they are at.” True Eduardo, the big muscles become like a protective layer of armour and people hide behind this image of false strength. It takes a lot of energy to sustain this image and means that these people are constantly living disconnected to themselves. It’s harder for them in a way because it’s a form of addiction to a superficial ‘feel good’. However, we all do this in some way or other and it’s often not until we are stopped by illness or an accident that we are given the space to take a look at what it is we are not wanting to feel. Many of us came to Universal Medicine because we could see that our lives were not working and Serge Benhayon has shown us the way back to ourselves.

Why do so many of us want to be something that we’re not. We are caught up in an image of a world where we don’t love and appreciate ourselves. The gymification of society is just a reflection of this. It’s meant to be healthy and muscles are complimented and adored in photos – but there is a real emptiness behind it all.

I totally agree Joel, I had not appreciated until this year how important it is to build a body that can work all the hours that is needed and do so in a LOVING and JOYFUL way. I have come to really enjoy exercising and I appreciate my body more then ever before.

A few years back I really allowed myself to get very unfit. No longer having a garden or stairs, even at home or work, and not wanting to walk alone especially in the cold and dark. I had not realised how much I had become inactive. Now I have a brisk walk everyday with our dog, and I face those hills without too much difficulty, which is great.

I loved revisiting this simple and powerful blog, thank you Raymond. We do know what truth feels like and also what lies feel like in our bodies.Nothing can be truly gotten away with when we lie and though we also hurt others when we do this, the deception hurts ourselves most.

I agree Jeanette and I love what you offer here – your words are filled with truth and this is just beautiful. Rich with the reflection to all of us that we do know truth inside and out, and we have come so far from it because we know what it really is. The fact is that lies hurt us and others, and we have the simple choice to not live like this.

I’m just beginning to re-learn how to exercise in a way that is gentle and doesn’t involve pushing my body hard to numb out what I don’t want to feel and it feels so different to what I have done in the past and so much lovelier.

I am also re-learning how to exercise. I don’t get it right all the time, ie. decided to do some leg weights last week and definitely over did it, was very very sore in my legs for a few days. It felt really awful and could feel the disregard I went into. I am going to go back and try again, but much gentler next time.

I agree Donna – I’ve had a similar experience of over exercising and pushing my body to its’ limits in the past in order to look a certain way and relieve stress but what a great feeling it is to exercise with the intention of strengthening and connecting to the body as a way to love and nurture it.

So true Deborah…listening to our bodies is key in connecting to our loving nurturing ways. Whether we are exercising, walking, sitting, lying and any thing in between – the wisdom of our body is strong and knows exactly what it needs…if we are prepared to listen and honour what it is telling us.

Donna…I can feel your delight in your newfound experience at the gym. How wonderful that you have claimed a true way of being with your body and enjoying your gym experience…it certainly beats thrashing yourself and feeling like you ‘have to’ go to the gym.

Beautiful Donna, I really love this line from you ‘my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am’. I do not go to a gym, but I exercise at home with the very same intent.

Me too Anna, I went to an exercise class regularly once a week and felt the benefit as I have quite a sedentary job. I now use light weights 3 or 4 times a week, for my upper body but I can feel this is not enough I will have to add some swimming in the week too. I’m fascinated by the fact that the more we listen to our bodies the more it tells us what is going on. Which I suppose is why we abuse it in the way we do. If we listened we would have to take responsibility for ourselves; I have noticed that isn’t something that we seem willing to do.

Anna, perhaps this is the way for me. I am simply not keen on gyms but perhaps setting up a simple gym at home is the way to go with some little weights etc., then the sum purpose is achieved without parts I don’t like about gyms.

I am also training at home Anna, and I do feel more and more that my body needs a certain strength and vitality to hold the light of the soul. Doing weights does support my body in becoming more vibrant and alive as I feel it loves to be vital and to express itself in true movement without any restriction.

Yes, this stood out for me too, ‘‘my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am’. Beautiful and what a great purpose to bring to our exercise.

I can definitely relate to your experience Donna as years ago I used to push myself at the gym because of my drive to maintain a certain body image. The way I exercise today is so different to those ‘thrash n bash’ the body days. My body very clearly tells me what it needs and when to stop…and I love listening to my body cause its now the boss!

Yes Carmel, we often look after our cars better than our bodies and if we put the wrong fuel in, the car won’t go. It amazes me how our bodies can keep functioning when we abuse them so much, but it doesn’t go unnoticed and eventually the illness or disease catches up with us. If we were to take full responsibility for being ‘vehicles of expression’ we would not abuse these bodies as we would want to keep them well oiled and greased for the many miles we need to travel in service.

It is a great reminder to look after our bodies in a way which is deeply loving. To go to the gym and exercise this way can be a real challenge, but you give a great example Donna, in your sharing how you manage it.

To look after our bodies is really our true responsibility and a lot of people know this but they do not live like this. Perhaps the knowing that our soul can express much easier through our body will make them change the way how they use their “vehicles of expression” much sooner.

To understand our bodies for their true purpose is super empowering and makes life a very joyful experience always knowing that the “body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.” To understand that our bodies are key to express from our Soul, but at the same time knowing that our purpose is to ascend from the body is quite spectacular as it totally challenges the concept of owning anything physically.

It’s true and I often play a game where I stop doing the things that allow my body to be so glorious as I freak out with imagined issues. I cannot argue with the fact that exercise makes a massive difference to how I feel and how purposeful I am during the day. If I stop it really is the first sign that I am making myself less.

“but at the same time knowing that our purpose is to ascend from the body is quite spectacular as it totally challenges the concept of owning anything physically” Wow how this exposes body building an industry that is fed by identification and ownership, the glorification of matter. How humbling it is to release this earthly arrogance and ascend back to soul.

Well said Rachel. The understanding of the body being the vehicle for the soul to show us the way out of the physical realm changes completely the way we approach it and take care of it. What a difference to the common ‘I can do whatever I want and the body will just have to cope’ approach.

This is interesting Rachel. If we see our bodies as ‘ours’ there is an all too easy path to take into recklessness. When the body is something that we are but ‘borrowing’ if you like and it is not in itself an end, but rather a access point to something grand, the whole perspective shifts, entirely.
This body becomes something to be understood and cared for differently. We understand it was never ours, but a part of God, and utterly spectacular that is.

I really identify with that word, recklessness, I can see how in the past I would be reckless in my use of the body, not recognising that I have a responsibility to look after my body by treating it more gently. It is remarkable how my own exercise is changing, there is so much to learn in exercise with complete awareness of how the body moves, how different parts interrelate and how expansive, open and settled I can become by exercising lightly and stretching my body out. if my body is my vehicle of expression then it stands to reason that the quality of my expression will improve if I take better care of the vehicle.

I love this Donna it makes so much sense to be with our body in this way, seeing that the strength in our physical body is a reflection of our inner strength. It makes me appreciate that it is the way we are with all the we do that makes a difference, if it is done in such a quality that supports us then it makes sense that this would support our soul and us to be all that we can be in this life.

Such a timely blog to read Donna. I have been feeling to go to the gym for a while after having started with exercising at home I feel going to the gym is actually what my body is asking for. Though at the moment not really practically possible, I will go to the gym as soon as the opportunity arises.

Thank you for so clearly showing the two different ways we can use our bodies. The two ways are miles apart and yet the distinction between the two is rarely, if ever, discussed or exposed. To see “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” brings a whole new approach to our way of being.

Me too Jonathan. I really appreciate being shown so clearly the two different ways of using our bodies. I have heard the expression “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” many times but never really connected to the true meaning of what was being said.

Imagine if we were taught this as part of our physical education at school. Rather than competitive sport being taught which encourages separation, kids are supported to foster their innate connection to their body that they already have through gentle movements.

That would be amazing indeed! Sport at school was always competitive, and the kids got a kick out of beating each other. Even when I moved away from team sports to solo sports, there was always an objective to get into competitions and prove our skills, but this meant we had to push our bodies to go to that level instead of really connecting with them, appreciating exercise and moving in a way that honours the body. My understanding of exercise now is very different, but it has taken me 20 years to drop the competitive nature that I thought was normal.

Recently I had been looking to join a gym but was a bit unsure as to what I wanted from a gym, so i started looking, around. At it turned out we had quite a few to choose from around us. The gym is great place to see the different kinds of relationships people can have with their bodies.
I investigated a gym that was next door to my work as people were saying it was the latest and the greatest getting amazing results but decided against it because they train their clients until they vomit, as I hunted around there were contracts, boot camps, booty programs, cross fit the list goes on and on, eventually I found a place that felt right it was basic and didn’t feel like a place to be “seen”. It took a while for me to really feel what was the right place for me to be, where I felt comfortable and supported. I have now settled into an exercise routine.

Nicole, it’s lovely how you looked for a gym that suited you, rather than you fitting into the gym. It’s true that many people go to gyms with the awareness that it is ‘a place to be “seen”’. This means that everything they do is governed by wanting to make an impression, or get recognition so they can easily shut off from what the body is saying and push themselves to extremes. That’s not a good ‘relationship’ to have with the body.

I agree Nicole, when looking to join a gym, important to shop around and find one that suits. I found one that is super close to my home which has made it very easy to incorporate dropping in for a visit. Some days I may spend a bit longer at the gym and others days it may only be 30 minutes. When a gym is convenient for us to attend it is much more likely that we can keep up regular visits and incorporate it into our rhythm.

Donna after a few year’s hesitation I have finally joined a gym near my work. In the past gym’s have been unattractive to me, the equipment clunky & mysterious, the body parading etc. But my first experience at this gym has broken that belief. I have been surprised at the friendliness of the staff and how user-friendly the equipment is. I plan to use the gym at quieter times in the day, and have started in the holiday period for that reason. It feels great to give my body the extra support and strength from working with the resistance machines and I keen to make this part of my regular routine.

Nicole, that’s disgusting – ‘they train their clients until they vomit’. I read that sentence with pure disbelief, in fact I had to read it a few times to be sure I was not reading incorrectly. I’ve run pretty hard at school, I did long distance running and won the school record but I have never been sick. Wow you must have to really push yourself if you vomit or else drink a pint of salty water beforehand perhaps. Vile. It seems extremes are everywhere we look taking us further away from the naturally tender beings we are.

I loved this and it was perfect timing for my body and my relationship with my soul. I have been feeling that I need to strengthen my body so that it can be a vehicle to express the light of the soul just like you Donna. I have found that I am not quite as fit for life as I would like to be and some strength work, done at home for the time being, is ironing out the kinks in my body.

Sally, I have found that I need to strengthen my body too. I lift small weights, however I feel I need a bit more stamina because lagging a bucket of hot water up the stairs tonight to mop the floors brought it home to me that I don’t yet have the strength or the stamina to go along with what my mind tells me I can do or should do.

I can really relate to this Mary, I have a very physical job and my body has not felt sufficiently supported by the swimming i do twice a week, so i have begun to stretch & lift weights, the results have been miraculous, not only have my movements feel more fluid and alive but I have also witnessed how it is supporting me to express in my day to day.

I can relate Sally, and before starting at the gym a few months ago I was feeling a stagnation and lack of commitment in my body. When I go to the gym now I don’t only feel stronger in my muscles after but also stronger and clearer in myself.

I have also been feeling that I need an exercise program to iron out the kinks as you have put it Sally, and after reading the comments on how people are feeling the benefits, I feel inspired to re-start my exercise program up again.

‘If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.’ I love this sentence and use these qualities as a marker to check where I am at. If I am not feeling love, truth, harmony, stillness or joy then I consider why and look at what may have happened so I can come back to this marker as quickly as I can.

Thank you Donna, great blog. I love exercising and feel the lack of support I offer my body when I don’t. However, and there is a big however, I spent so much time enjoying exercise and getting off on the hit I got from the adrenaline that I abused my body and overrode what was supporting my body for what was numbing my body. Working with myself and experimenting and applying the teachings of Universal Medicine in my day to day living has really supported me to be aware of how my body feels when I exercise. This has meant that I can feel very clearly what is supporting me and what isn’t, when I need to do more and when I have done enough. The adrenaline is no longer what I need to tell me I am having fun or getting some benefit, in fact I can feel both of those things and build a very strong body without copies hits of it. What a revelation that has been. Thank you for starting the conversation and I look forward to reading all the comments to expand!

Yes I can very much relate to the adrenaline that you are referring to Lucy and I have found that it is only through truly being present with my body that I can observe and feel if those little highs start to kick when I am exercising. In those instances, I often pull myself up, slow down if I am doing cardio and really feel my feet and bring my awareness deep into my body and I soon come back to me. I find that I need to be super diligent with my connection with my body and not get taken out me by music or what people around me are doing.

I too spent many years hammering my body for external gains at the gym but have not been for many years now. I am feeling inspired by this blog, Donna to revisit my gym experience but for a totally different purpose this time. To exercise and feel the delicateness and strength in my body feels very loving and a beautiful way to honour the body that houses my soul.

The use of these words together struck me; ‘strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful’ for they are not words we would normally think to put side by side to describe the one thing, especially when this thing is our human form. In fact, I think we have often separated them so that the choice has been to either live in a body that is ‘strong and powerful’ or in one that is ‘gentle, tender and precious’. That is, we see these terms as ‘strong’ versus ‘weak’, when neither is correct they are merely corrupted fragments of a one whole truth that we have departed from. And that is, that when we make the choice to live the light of the Soul through every particle of our physical flesh, the seeming opposites harmonize into one cohesive whole. We are so naturally strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful when we marry Soul to body, Heaven to Earth, the macrocosm to the microcosm, the above with the below. The duality is what we lose ourselves in when we lose sight of the unity of the Whole. Thank you Donna, for a gorgeous blog.

Great blog Donna, you have really explained many aspects of exercising with weights in the gym. And Liane you have also explained the same in a wonderful clear big picture way. It leaves no room for misinterpretation. I have not gone to exercising in the gym because of how I physically pushed my body in the past. It was to harden, body image and distract me. I did think that I either chose strength or weak. In truth I am both in the truest sense of the word and so much more.

“The body is the vehicle to house the Soul.” Well said Donna. To arrest the ill momentum that has come to drive the human spirit seeking dominion over the body, is to reclaim the Soul as the true heir to the throne of a Kingdom residing deep within our every heart.

This is the magic of the Livingness, yet simple but still to be explored by so many, if not to say by almost all humanity. We either live with our soul or with our spirit. Both can do seemingly the same things, but the utter difference is the intention, the purpose and the quality and integrity how it is expressed. The first is with the all and harmonious and natural in our body – the latter seems to seek this harmony but cannot ever reach it as it is not connected to it in the first place.

Beautifully said Liane. ‘To arrest the ill momentum’ is a big one, we have had many many lives where we haven’t taken responsibly for many things to do with our bodies and our spirit is so used to doing as it pleases. To connect with the body during exercise is key, not to allow the spirit to get on with what it’s used to doing which is to run the body, fast, complicating things and being unloving. To reclaim the Soul, it is all in the connection with our hearts!

absolutely Raegan, the spirit always seeks a way to tighten its hold over the human body it thinks it is in charge of…and fighting it, trying to use willpower, to improve, to defeat – it is all just the spirit playing a game with us.. forget the struggle, and just make it about re-connection to our inner essence, to our Soul, and the whole game unravels as in the stillness we know our part in Gods playground.

I love your beautiful expression Liane: ” …the Soul as the true heir to the throne of a Kingdom residing deep within our every heart.” That is such an awesome statement and one I will take with me now, thank you.

Thank you, Donna. I agree with every word you have shared here and am starting to look after my body as a vehicle through which the soul can express. It took a lot to convince me that the body had such an important role to play, but now that I can feel the truth of this, I am deeply appreciative of the practical wisdom of Universal Medicine in reminding me how to support myself and be all that I can be, by committing to a regular exercise routine.

This is so true Janet – Universal Medicine offers totally practical wisdom to bring to our day on a daily basis.
It is far simpler than pushing through and making oneself hard and numb in the process to make everything ‘better’ – from body shape to everything in life. Living true requires much work to break through the old illusions that fosters the lie that to be successful, every aspect of our life must be better.

I do agree janet, it is that important for our bodies to commit to a regular exercise routine as it is not used for a long time to be embodied with love. The lack of love has configured our bodies in ways to compensate for this. Now I am reintroducing love to my body I can feel the actual weakness it carries because of this lacking of love ant that it needs another configuration to become vital again. The loving support of simple exercises is well appreciated by my body as when I do the exercises I always become very joy-full simply from the inside out because my body loves to return to that vibrant state of being.

“It took a lot to convince me that the body had such an important role to play” I never thought I was that opinionated about exercise but I do know that it has taken much dedication and commitment to break through my stubborn resistance to supporting myself in this way.

Thank you Donna. What you have written makes so much sense “my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul”. I know that when I do not exercise and take care of my physical body then this affects how I feel and my resolve and purpose weakens but when I exercise, keep my body in good working order then I feel the strength of purpose and ready to take the next self-loving step to welcome the light of the Soul into my being.

Great blog Donna, I have only ever been in a Gym a couple of times in my life and have recently even relaxed the amount of exercise I do as my job that is quite physical goes pretty quiet at this time of year. Your blog though has reminded me of the greater purpose of exercise and I may even seek out a Gym for myself over the winter months.

Body image seems to be at an all time importance these days with people pumping iron like never before and taking food supplements and steroids. It may be showing that there is even more people needing to numb out on exercise and needing to take it to greater extremes as there is more to not feel.

This is a good point Kevin, I have noticed too that as if it is not enough to be pushing the body through exercise in a hard, excessive and disconnected way, the body is also being supplemented with steroids or other particular foods. It is another area in life that is being taken to the extreme to not feel whats going on in life. However exercise is often overlooked as a tool that is used to ‘mange life’ as it is seen as a ‘good’ thing to do. As Donna exposes here though there are two different approaches to how and why we exercise.

‘If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.’ An awesome one-liner that stops you in your tracks and requires a rethink on the way in which we relate to, treat and honour our bodies – in every way. The gift of true responsibility in one short sentence.

Everything becomes so simple and purposeful when we come from our soul, then exercising is not to distract, disconnect and forget but about supporting one’s body to be clear, vital and strong which allows us to stay connected with ourself and most of all enjoy living in this body of ours.

This blog was timely for me. Whether in the gym or with some weights at home, your line “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” is so crucial. And brings a purpose and tenderness to the exercise that I can easily forget.

Me too Otto, I go regularly to the Gym and I am very aware of working out in a way that honours my body, so I do check how I breathe, how the body feels with everything I do, and my gym workout has changed a lot since I started doing this.

Thank you Donna, this is a great topic, it shows that everything comes back to the quality we are in or do things with. So it is never about what we do but how we do it or rather how we are with ourself – connected with or disconnected from ourself.

‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul’ is very beautiful Donna. Thank you for sharing this and how very different your experience of the gym is with this appreciation in place. Not only that, but your entire relationship with your body which takes on new significance and greater responsibility. Much to ponder!

A Beautiful article Donna and one I can very much relate to, taking care of my body has always been a weakness for me until recently where I have realised that it is fundamental to the way we are, the way we communicate, the way we working, function, move etc.. so exercise has been an important part of that and having the focus being about the Light of the Soul and NOT about body image is an enormous step forward and makes the ultimate difference with the relationship we are to have with our bodies.

Thank you Donna, in reading your blog I find myself asking the question – to what purpose is our body a vehicle to house the soul? And I realise that this is for the purpose of expression, so that the soul and all of what it offers can be expressed here on earth. Something that you have done beautifully.

The gym and its path to Soul – I love it and absolutely agree, working out physically helps me connect to my body and the purpose it’s here for, I kind of see it as training ground for both my body and soulful health.

I’ve noticed my wellbeing improves greatly too, and I’ve noticed the opposite in my body when I do not look after it and excercise, there is a stagnation in my body that feels really heavy and weary. It’s definitely a wise choice!

Great article Donna, this shows that we cannot ignore our body if we want to evolve further. It makes so much sense that we have to build our body with strength to hold the light of the soul – the light that is innately in everyone. “If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.”

Thank you Donna for highlighting the fact that ‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul.’ And also for the fact for the soul to be embodied our body has to be be strong and powerful as well as fragile and delicate.

Donna, this is a great article, I also used to go to the gym as a student, my reasons were to look good, i had such a deep self loathing at the time and wanted to ‘improve myself’ in some way, i pushed my body hard and could not keep it up, i was put off going to the gym as it felt so physically hard, but reading your article i can feel how there is a loving, joyful way to be at the gym and I love what you wrote here, ‘building strength so that I can express more fully the inner strength that innately resides within me and equally within us all.’

I can relate to your words here Donna, ‘sometimes being a bit soft in my body’. I have been feeling the same lately as I havent’ been to a gym for at least 26 years, as I too was a frequent gym visitor, but lately I have been feeling to strengthen my body with weights and more gentle exercise, as part of an overall focus on my body, so thank-you for the inspiration to go forth with this.

Me too Julie. I sit down a lot in front of a computer at work and at home as well and quite often miss out on going for my morning walk so have been feeling a bit soft in my body. This blog is exactly what I needed!

I can do that too Tamara, get caught up a bit in the work on the computer, I spend a lot of time there too as it is my main work station. My body will let me know, I find myself shifting around on the chair, becoming unsettled and know – ah time for a lovely walk – and so I go and walk with myself, and it feels awesome and work after feels a lot more in the flow again.

Donna, I can feel the absolute power in your writing. Your clarity is super inspiring. Anyone stumbling across your blog will either feel repelled and run in the other direction, or heave a sigh of relief and embrace it.

I love exercise for the very reasons you talk about Donna it brings a closer connection with my body and an understanding that what I am building is a body to en-house my soul…no longer is it just to feel or look good. The stronger my body is and the more awareness I bring to how I move when I exercise helps me through the day, it is a whole different way of looking at exercise and going to the gym.

The stronger the body the greater the awareness, brilliant Alison. Given the states of many bodies today it would be a safe bet to assume that many do not want to increase their awareness but to in fact numb it. Not surprising given the state of the world, yet till we feel it we will not be inspired to do anything about it.

What you’ve shared here Donna is that we are far more than just our bodies and that how we are with our bodies is no different to how we are with anything in this world. It’s like having a super posh car and it is our choice to drive around as if it were a rally car or to drive in such a way that maintains, supports and allows the car to drive at its optimum levels. This also highlights that there is a form of tension or unease that we use the body in such a way to escape from but ultimately never do through the body alone. A tension from energy can only be dealt with through and by energy, the body helps us in that regard by showing us what the energy is but ultimately if we don’t deal with it the body can only do so much.

This is such a beautifully timed blog for me as I have been aware for a while that my body needs strengthening and I have been avoiding even thinking about going to the gym. But reading your words: “my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am”, was a wonderful reminder of what my body is truly for and that every part of my body matters, and to have a body that is strong and flexible is an absolute must to support me and to support my soul.

Going to the gym can be an unpleasant thought if we consider it to be a place of over-exertion and pain in our bodies. I am learning that exercise doesn’t have to be a chore, and that I need not push myself harder than is necessary, and this is changing my attitude towards how working out can support my body.

It’s so refreshing to have such a different attitude to doing exercise than the usual wanting to lose weight, look better, compete more or just check out reasons that people normally use the gym for. In the last 6 months or so since my first Universal medicine retreat, I have been doing regular gentle strengthening exercises at home which is the first time in my life that I have committed time to this kind of thing. And just doing 20 mins in the morning most days I can feel such a difference. My body, which my whole life has been very weak and soft, is now becoming the supportive frame that it is supposed to be.

Wow – thanks for sharing this Donna. I have spent a lot of time in the past exercising to try and lose weight or achieve a good body – it never worked! And because I did exercise in resentment of my body I tended to dislike doing it, and had weak motivation when I was feeling given up. I love what you have presented about building a body that can support our everyday activities, and also our expression and soul.

Thanks for this post Donna. I love this “my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am” So true – and something your article supports me to remember.

I like the last line Donna, the body is our house, it makes sense from there that we build a solid home to enhouse our being, our soul. On a practical level when I exercise I have really found the difference in picking a lighter weight that really allows me to feel the movement through my body. Lifting weights should create an expansiveness, and so if I feel a strain and push on through, then I know I am lifting too heavy and this is not supporting my body to be stronger and won’t support wellness in every aspect of my life.

I agree with you Karina. For a body of love to bring through that love, it just makes sense that that body needs to be lovingly cared for and exercised in a way that keeps it open for such loving interactions.

WOW Donna “The body is the vehicle to house the soul” how awesome a statement is that. It just breaks through all the conscious’ around giving ourselves a treat, ‘overeating, taking or needed a break, drinking alcohol, exercising till we can’t move and the list could go on as the how we numb ourselves. But knowing and feeling that this is what are body is for it truly revelatory!!

Donna every article that I have read of yours has been so wonderfully emphatic. The reason for this is that you write from the absolute authority of your body and it is because of this that it leaves me in no doubt that what you express is the truth. There is nothing more powerful than expression from the body. Glorious !

We all hold a responsibility to speak truth and to share this truth for all. We can only say what we say with conviction through our own lived experience which comes via our connection with our body. Hence there is a responsibility that comes of looking after our body with a deep level of care and love. This is why I have found gym training so purposeful because I know the responsibility that I hold walking as the Son of God and that the connection to the body is the key to the soul.

Donna so true that when we exercise this way, knowing that our bodies give us access to our inner beauty, grace, harmony and joy, we know exactly how much weight to work with and what pace or level of intensity to walk or exercise at. We can feel the right intensity and number of repetitions and duration of the workout, because our bodies sing with joy when we honour and respect them in exercise. It is simply a matter or connection without the push or drive you speak of. Thank you for sharing this.

Simon, I am deeply appreciative that you were the one to inspire me to get back to the gym and had the love and patience to show me around the gym so that I was no longer scared of it. Since that very first visit several months ago it has now become part of my rhythm and I can feel the sustaining benefits that is offering me. I feel so much more present in my body and powerful. I am also finding it is much easier to express when I feel so solid in my body.

When I read the words – “the body is the vehicle to house the soul”, this felt so true and to build strength in the body, so purpose-full. I have side stepped workouts, weights and aerobic exercise, choosing to gently stretch and walk. This blog has allowed me to open to another way of nurturing my body in my move towards ‘wholeness’. Thank you Donna for sharing.

Yes this is a whole new way of looking at exercise, one with purpose and responsibility to serve the all. Not something I ever considered till Universal Medicine, taking responsibility for the body I live in because how it is impacts on everyone and not just me. A message we need today not to judge or critique but to remind us all that we carry a greater responsibility to everyone and not just ourselves.

Donna, I too returned to the gym a couple of years ago with the intention to strengthen my body but with zero focus on changing how my body looked. I was amazed at how I used to feel after my gym session of light weights and stretching – I often felt like I’d had a healing session, which in a way it is. Working the body in a way that supports and strengthens it so we can do what we need to do is healing.

Sandra it seems to me the body loves to exercise in this way, and it responds with gratitude. Going to the gym I know is very self-loving when approached in this way – so it stands to reason that it would be healing.

I agree Bernard, every gym session now not only feels like a healing session, but I know it is a healing session in itself. Feeling this marker in my body has also made me realise that every step I take if done so in conscious presence is a healing.

True Sandra, if the purpose is a loving one and not for the outer result the gym becomes a true healing for us. And a freedom to to really enjoy to have time with ourselves and our body. Then we experience our playfulness again. If you imagine children in the gym they will not be that serieus and worried that their body will look good, they just will be playful with all they touch.

What a consciousness-buster that is, to understand gym work as healing. If we understood this broadly, mega-pumped workouts would look like the anomaly they are. I often wince when I see and hear people (men and women) grunting and straining. There is nothing healing in what they’re doing.

Gorgeously expressed Sandra. It makes sense that it feels like a healing when we move in connection to our bodies with love, as we are with every move building Love in our bodies and as such building a body of Love.

Wow Sandra that is really an astonishing and also unique way to look at working with the body in a gym. To see it as a healing session is very much inspiring as it changed my whole way of looking at workouts – thank you for not holding back your wonderful experience in the gym.

I really relate to what you’ve shared Donna about using exercise to numb our body. That’s certainly what I did in an attempt to re-shape mine or lose weight. I always disliked running as it felt uncomfortable but I did it because it was the most effective way for me to lose weight if I put it on (usually through over indulging). And so, I used more disregard (running) to counter the initial disregard (over indulging) to get back to my desired weight. What a cycle that was…not to be repeated.

Ditto that Sandra, I wouldn’t have ever called myself a runner, but I did attempt jogging on a treadmill for a while back in my ‘manic’ gym days. I see people doing the same now, or using running to de-stress from or relieve their day. Either way it’s a push and a drive and not want the body necessarily wants or needs. It’s a good question to ask: what are we running away from?

I can relate here Sandra, I used running at one time also bikram yoga and even kick boxing which looking back is crazy as I am naturally so sensitive and fragile. What I have now found in my exercise routine is that little and often works really well for me and building my body slowly is supporting it the most and as Donna is sharing in connect to our soul.

Sandra the word in your comment that really stood out to me was ‘re shape’. It feels such a forceful thing to do to our bodies. Re- shape our body, what are we saying to our bodies ? I don’t like the shape that you are and so I am going to do other things that you (the body) doesn’t like (exercise strongly, only eat peas and ham) in order to force you into a different shape. What a lot of strife for the body to deal with ! As opposed to making loving choices on behalf of the body and allowing the body to assume it’s natural shape.

As you say Donna I do not associate the connection to the soul with the gym, and this feels very typical in the way that we have been taught to compartmentalise life – keeping certain aspects of our life separate. When you feel into this it doesn’t make sense – what makes sense is the all inclusive way – and one that many have found in the’ way of the livingness’ which brings everything together in a way that is spherical and life enhancing. It is a way that truly brings heart, body and mind together in a harmonious flow.

Love the practicality of your experience Donna and the way forward to building a body fit for true love. I have been puling towards a routine of exercise and now feel this is great confirmation to go ahead with this – not to get fit or look good, but to connect deeper to the divinity in my body through movement.

I hear you Rachael Evans, my body has been calling me to bring about more love and support. As I step my light up, so too do I need to step the care for my body up, so it can hold all the light that I am.

Absolutely Rachael love what you say here – ‘connect deeper to the divinity in my body through movement’. There is a fullness of Love for us all to claim and it is through our bodies, and building a body of Love that we can freely live the Divine light we are.

I love this Rachel. Yes I too have been feeling the pull to deepen my own connection with exercise. It feels like the perfect accompaniment to support our true divinity to reach its full potential. Love at full power sounds pretty great to me.

Donna, I love what you’ve shared here, I’ve often been intimidated and avoided gyms and recently I’ve developed a whole new relationship with exercise and incorporated weight into it which is new for me. And you know what, I love it, and what has been surprising is my body loves it and I can feel how I can lift more than I have expected. I love feeling the power of what my body is capable of and as you say really it’s a vehicle to express the light of who we are; and if we approach exercise in this way, it changes it completely.

I love feeling the power of what my body is capable of too Monica. For the last three months I have been in a job where I need to stand most of the time and walk a few times a day. I love how my body feels much more fit because of it and unexpected it supports me in connecting and feeling who I am and expressing my light. Moving, exercising and strenghtning my body now has a totally new purpose and I truly enjoy it.

I am finding that the way I move makes so much difference to the way I feel and how much I appreciate the love that we all bring. Strengthening this body would support it to move more freely. Having a strong, fit, supported body makes life more joyful and more connected to the soul. Awesome blog Donna, thanks.

Donna this is a wake-up call for me as I have had the feeling my body needs gym work for a long time but have put it off by focussing on apparently more pressing things. My body is now quite weak muscularly and so I’m taking your blog as an inspiration to get on with it.

Same here, Josephine and Judith. My body wants to exercise on a regular basis as well, but I haven’t organized it yet and tried to fool myself that my daily walk or weekly swim would be sufficient, but it is not. And I will start with my pink 500 gr. weights.

I haven’t been back to the gym in about 5 years, however in recent years, I have begun to work with light weights at home. The consciousness of working out (and hard!) to lose weight or look a certain way or to get super fit took a long time for me to work through and slowly discard, but it’s been replaced by much more of a joy of working with my body when exercising – without the drive and push of an end result – and learning more and more to listen to, and appreciate how my body moves.

That’s what I have experienced too Angela with doing gentle exercise, incorporating various weights I cannot but feel my joy, it is my body telling me how grateful it is for every move I make to feel my strength and power. Going to the gym will be my next step and Donna has inspired me to do so with her experience which is deeply felt.

I agree Angela, I know i have approached exercise to look a certain way, but i find the best results are when I am doing it to support my body – to have the right level of fitness for my job etc, so not get so tired or tight because my body has the strength to do what it needs to do without strain.

Great sharing Donna. I was very reluctant to join a gym for many years due to the pressure I had about holding a certain body image. By making the visit about supporting and strengthening the body I am now enjoying going to the gym.

I agree Natasha, I can say I actually enjoy going to the gym now. Before it felt like an obligation and was part of a striving to be better. Changing my focus has helped me see it in a similar way to you. It is about supporting myself and being strong enough to carry out my daily activities.

How interesting to read this; two years to the day I returned to the gym after an absence of more than a decade. I hadn’t got to the soul enhousement understanding then – which I totally get now – my feeling was I needed to support my body for my health (compromised) and to strengthen my commitment to life by being fit enough to be able to do what I needed to do in life. It was a practical, common sense impulse and has been a great choice.

Yes, for me too Victoria, supporting my body to be able to commit more fully to life and work was my incentive to start exercising regularly, and the benefits have been tremendous – more energy, a stronger and more resilient body and a greater connection with myself and what my body needs.

Thank you for sharing this Victoria: “….to strengthen my commitment to life by being fit enough to be able to do what I needed to do in life.” It is good to feel how we can step by step build a fit body and how important that is.

I can’t wait going to the gym again, I have been letting it go over the past few weeks but you have given going to the gym a whole new purpose. Thank you, this is absolutely beautiful and very inspiring. Gym, here I come!

“The body is the vehicle to house the soul, and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.”
I love what you offer here Donna: the body has a purpose, it is a vehicle of expression and we have to take super good care of it, so our soul can access us and lead the way in our lives.

I can relate to what you are saying Mariette, I have held back on going to a gym, remember the music that is usually played there, I never liked that, constant pressure. But after reading Donna’s blog, with her spelling out of the purpose, to build a strong body to enhouse my soul, I feel to investigate venues near me, to see what they are like. It would be good to use some equipment again, and help me make the commitment.

I agree Monika – what Donna offers in her sharing is the knowing in her body that we can access more of our soul when our body is cared for and strengthened. I’m still inconsistent with my commitment in this area but when I do go to the gym my body glows with the purpose afforded it.

Great blog Donna. I fell into the same trap. I thought that having the right body shape meant that I was healthy and I worked out at the gym to manufacture this. I was way off track as between gym sessions there would be chocolate, tim tams, ten km runs, several late nights out, a hangover and much more. I was depleting myself very rapidly. So glad those days are well and truly behind me.

This really stuck out to me Matthew, “I thought that having the right body shape meant that I was healthy and I worked out at the gym to manufacture this” Because often I have thought that I have the wrong body shape and need to go to the gym to get the right one, but never have I considered how power-full I already am, and that I don’t need a perfect body.

“Working hard at the gym offered me an opportunity to numb out even more so as not to feel the underlying stress and sadness that was really there in my body that I was choosing to ignore. The gym gave me a momentary high and a relief from feeling where I really was at.”
I witness this behavior a lot with young men too. Who find it hard to be the tender teenagers they are, feel hurt and lonely and use excessive sport and going to the gym as one of their vices.

Very true Monika, I have seen this too with young men. When reading your comment I realised that as long as their tenderness and fragility is not confirmed by anyone around them it is difficult for them to be that, to allow that, and to embrace that. We need to start sharing with them that there is true strenght in being tender and that training their body in a loving and supporting way helps them to access their true power, the power of their soul.

That’s beautiful Kim. We often think of Brotherhood and including others, but it is equally important to include ourselves and indeed all parts of ourselves in that so that we are a part and not apart or in parts!

Donna, this is a great reminder how we have our bodies here to express ourselves fully, and how we need to take the responsibility to build the body in a way that it can support itself in the work that we do. I have personally noticed how by simply doing push-ups on a regular basis, it has helped me in my work as an aircraft mechanic, as it is a physical job and requires a certain level of physical fitness.

I’m a desk jockey primarily with a little bit of catering on the side – nothing too physically demanding. Yet I too have found going to the gym to be super-supportive for my work and stamina overall. And for my digestive system when I focus on my abdomen!

I like that you bring in the word responsibility Michael. You are right we do need to take responsibility to build a body that supports itself in the work we do and also to build a vehicle fit for the soul to reside in.

Gorgeous Doug, completely agree – and fitness includes strength, awareness and most of all love. The love and awareness are particularly important and the impulse to take care of our body comes from that. Recently a friend of mine died from cancer. At the time of death her body was very weak (obviously) and completely riddled with cancer but her love and awareness was huge, and her Soul was very much with her. Therefore, it does not mean if we are physically weak that our Soul can’t be with us in a circumstance such as when the body is going through a big healing and clearing such as with an illness or terminal disease.

Inspiring blog Donna! I have been to the gym once in a while but its not a regular part of my exercise routine but hand weights and leg weights are. I feel so much strength and power in my body and I am physically more fit these days than at any other time in my life. It feels great to take care of my body and commit to my exercise, not for the “look” but because I love how it feels to look after me in this way.

I do hand weights and an exercise routine (not as much as I would like to!) but don’t find it works for me going to the gym. I have not been able to connect to any of the machines (perhaps because so many don’t work with one of my knees). I also find it amazing how many great exercises can be done with simple hand and ankle weights.

I was just thinking about all the ideals and beliefs and pictures that I have around the gym. I may just have to visit the gym and break some of those long held beliefs because that is all they are! Isn’t it interesting how we avoid things like the gym or exercise for example because we have a picture in our head of how it is or how it should be….. but when, eventually we try it we realise that the experience that you can have can be the polar opposite of that picture.

Yes I held the ideals for a very long time that the gym was a scary place with lots of big men lifting iron. I have been pleasantly surprised at just how normal it is and I have been enjoying being amongst lots of different people within the gym. I am finding it lots of fun to be with me whilst also being with others.

The great thing I have found about the gym as well Donna is that we can always learn from other people and how they exercise too. That might be that we learn by copying what they do, I might learn a new exercise that I will adapt to suit me, or it might mean I get a reflection of a way of exercising I don’t want to get caught in. Either way being amongst people is very educational. I also find that going to the gym is an opportunity to lift the weights I want to and let myself feel how strong that pressure is that I could let be imposed upon me to lift heavy weights to “be a man”.

The body image aspect I have found to be insidious. There is still a part of me that wants the exercise I do at the gym – the cardio component – to be about weight loss and the weights about being toned. Although this is not the reason I go and although these things are the natural by-products of the exercise I do, they are not the be all and end all. Even though I know this I can still make it about appearance. What a great indicator of the degree to which we can impair our self of self-worth.

This is so true Rosie, ‘Isn’t it interesting how we avoid things like the gym or exercise for example because we have a picture in our head of how it is or how it should be….. but when, eventually we try it we realise that the experience that you can have can be the polar opposite of that picture.’ I have a picture in my head of the gym of lots of very muscly men lifting weights, I could not see myself in this picture and so have avoided the gym, reading this article and these comments allows me to see that this is a picture that I hold and that the gym might actually be a supportive place for me.

I agree Rosie there can be pictures and even judgements around the gym or we think of all gyms as the same so sometimes we might need to try a few different gyms before we find one that is okay. Some gyms have a weight lifting culture, some are glamorous, some are community focused and others are attached to sport clubs. Not all, but many play loud music you may not want to hear so headphones help, some accompany the music with quasi pornographic music videos and that’s okay too – it’s easy not to look.

Donna, I love how you wrote that ‘we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.’ It feels great how you have returned to re-imprint exercise in the gym for your body, you are learning a whole new way to do exercise and a whole new way to be with this expression.

Thank you Donna. You prove that everything we do is an opportunity to deepen our connection to our soul. The gentle exercises I practice nowadays have nothing to do with my gym sessions of years past. Then it was all about proving to myself that I could go that little bit further, in effect competing with myself and others although I would never have admitted it.

Yes it is amazing Patricia when we live our lives with purpose it turns everything we do on its head. What we do no longer becomes about “what can I get out of it” but becomes more about how do I live in a way where I am fully present, steady and loving so that I offer this reflection to others.

Dear Donna, thank You for sharing this, it inspired me to reconsider and bringing the Gym into my rhythm again; not so soon as it has to suit into my rhythm really to build a consistency; it looks like April after the retreat, however I will start in January with some online exercise classes so the process of strengthening my body to enhouse the soul has already started.

Just because something has not worked in our life, we often make the action or situation wrong. Yet do we question the way and energy we actually brought to the activity? When we bring the understanding that ‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul’ to all of life, it transforms everything. Then going to the gym becomes about building a body of love instead of just muscle. Thank you Donna.

“Then going to the gym becomes about building a body of love instead of just muscle.” Love this line Joseph to pump iron to look good based on inner insecurities will never lead anywhere (except to bigger muscles) where as exercising to ensure our bodies are fit enough to receive the love that is there is whole other level!

Great point Joseph about questioning what energy we originally did something in and if that is why we may have resistance to currently doing something that we have done in the past. I hadn’t clocked that. I’m going to apply this to anything I feel resistance towards moving forward.

Joseph, a great point about questioning what energy we originally did something in and if that is why we may have resistance to doing something. This applies to me at present as when I was younger I loved exercising and went to the gym 4 times a week, but now I am finding a lot of resistance to doing exercise. So now I can see that I need to check what intention I am running with when I decide to do it, that way I can call out what thought I have gone into that stops me from doing it.

I like this a lot Joseph “going to the gym becomes about building a body of love instead of just building muscles. This is such a great concept we need to get it out there for all to hear: build a body of love and muscles to support you at the same time. New marketing strategy for gyms!!!

That is really the best marketing strategy for gyms ever Mary-Louise. This concept would be the only way to get me as a costumer because to build a body of love and muscles to support me at the same time is a so called win win situation for me.

Thank you for laying it out so clearly Donna. The purpose of gym work can be to numb out issues, to bury lack of self worth or to make one feel better about an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle, this is pushing the body without respect of it or connection to it. It is totally different when we exercise to be in connection with our body and really get to know it through every gentle movement and every gentle breath. This way exercise becomes more like meditation. Treating my body like it is divine I exercise to build the strength to hold the light of the soul.

Yes, Bernard, I used to use sport many years ago, to bury all the hurt that I was feeling, to numb myself from feeling. How great it is to approach exercise from a completely different connection, with real purpose. I love the purpose you have laid out here, “Treating my body like it is divine I exercise to build the strength to hold the light of the soul.” Now that is the purpose I will take into the exercise I do today. Thank you.
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Donna, thank you for presenting what I feel it is such an important topic, indeed there is such a difference when we approach strength training with purpose and the knowing that we are vehicles for our soul to express at any moment and it is our responsibility to look after it in a way that we can exercise in a way that allows us to embody our strength and power within us.

Powerfully said Francisco and so true. It is our responsibility to care for and choose what will support our bodies so that we can then freely express the light of our Soul in all its glory. The glory that we all, humanity, equally deserves to be blessed with.

Donna your sharing is deeply confirming and inspiring. It changes the entire way that exercise and the gym can be approached and with that its purpose. As you say “my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.” Reading this incites and pulls, an inspiration in myself to get back into exercise that builds a strength back into my body to support my soul and my true expression. Thank you.

This is an amazing turnaround to a way of exercising that is loving powerful and strength building. I love your realisation that “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and the purpose of exercise being to strengthen your body to support this purpose in your daily living, and not to bury what you feel and for body image. It is very inspiring to read and to honour this for myself, it feels wonderful also and very joyful.

Very beautiful Donna. ‘my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.’ I had the same experience a few monthes ago when i went to th gym after many years. Like you before i did it to have a good body, to be in good shape and to feel strong that i could handle life. Which was just all layers to cover up the empty feeling and hurts underneath. Now this time after having done some years of training, workshops with Serge Benhayon I entered the place already very different. I was very aware how all people was there in an attitude how I was before. I could see the emptiness and the hardness in which the people did their work outs. I had a talk with a few about the hardness we can use to move our body. Which can never be healthy if you think logically. Anyway at the moment i started to lift th weights of the machine i felt huge. I did it with such a presence and when moving the weights I was still very much with all that I was connecting with that i felt like a giant. It felt like all could see the true power in me. This is where love lives, this is what is needed …to built a body of love so the soul can express himself. Very very beautiful it is and very much the way forward.

I have avoided the gym even though I feel my body needs it. What I find daunting is all the different types of equipment but if I am honest with myself I would have to say that I have been using that as an excuse. This blog is a wake up call for me, with a beautiful incentive to reflect on, that my body is indeed my vehicle to house my soul and it is a responsibility I have to myself to take care of it in every way possible. Thank-you Donna.

Donna I love how you have highlighted the power and strength that you are connecting to through your gym exercises. I too love feeling the different qualities that we can express and the reflection this provides.

Donna I have never been a gym member but have been to sessions using the gym in a gentle, supportive way and my body loved it but as for committing full time I definitely had a resistance. I now see by supporting my body I am supporting my vehicle of expression and strengthening my connection to hold the light of the Soul. Such a different way of accepting the purpose of committing to the gym.

This echoes my experience exactly Donna. I had been feeling a number of months ago that my body needed more to support it throughout the day and up until that stage I had not been exercising much just a walk each day. I explored the gym, exploring my tender strength and never pushing myself or going beyond what I felt my body truly needed. And I loved it! I felt stronger and deeper and far more claimed in my body than ever before and I realised the gym was a beautiful way of celebrating my tenderness and inner (and outer) strength and sexiness!

Yes Joshua, having now regularly visited the gym a couple of times a week over the past few months it really has made a remarkable difference in being more claimed in my body than I was before. I feel the power of the strength training and I feel strong from the inside to the out. I love your point about feeling sexy, that too is a natural by product of feeling our own connection, it is not something to outwardly look to obtain, it is simply a beautiful confirmation of what we feel when we connect and we feel it from inside to the out.

I can also relate to using the gym as a way to cover up what was really going on. I had a very strong belief that by exercising I maintained my body weight and therefore could get away with indulging. To be fair, I always had a very moderate diet and never really ate in excess. One thing I did always think was key to winning at life, was going to the gym first thing the morning after a drinking session. This was my conscious way of counteracting the harm I had inflicted on my body the night before.
A bandaid approach was often seen and encouraged as a smart thing to do.

Oh yeah……great blog. Powerful words and a revolutionary way of looking at going to the gym and being with your body. My body has been telling me for a couple of years now that it would like to be stronger but I have not really been listening. Thanks for the important reminder of what our body is truly here for (and not our short-term gains) and how much it loves to feel power-full and strong (in a gentle and tender way ;-)).

My goal of exercise in years gone past was for fitness and health, which all sounds great but really my definition of health and fitness was far removed from their true meanings. When I read your lovely explanation regarding the body housing the soul it changes the whole meaning of these words. When I change my understanding of health and fitness as just being well enough to function from day to day to living with vitality and joy, the whole landscape changes. There is no question which body I choose to lovingly support these days.

What I have known for a long long time, but have found hard to shake is my consistency with being inconsistent. I am a yoyo when it comes to exercise and other self care rituals. A large portion of the reason I feel is due to a lack of commitment to myself, and more of a commitment to seeing an end result.
Being driven by results and box ticking is more and more proving to be inefficient and not to mention loveless. The pressure on oneself that comes with the expectations is, I’m pretty sure, designed to keep someone from ever reaching their ‘goal’. It’s the case of the dangling carrot.
With more focus on a commitment to myself, I imagine my drive to take care of my body will be more about the health of my body and less about what it might look if I do x,y,z.

As humans we are generally so irresponsible – we use and abuse our bodies, and are then surprised when we develop illness and disease. I love what you share Donna, about building a body of love – a vehicle for the soul. With such true purpose, it takes away the need to motivate ourselves go to the gym or to exercise.

I love what you shared about working with the body to build a body of love that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful and not holding back expressing fully who we are… inspiring us to ask ourselves why would you want to live less than that? What a great way to commit to deepening the connection with ourselves and developing a body that allows for all this and so much more.

Gyms have always intimidated me, I have only ever visited them with other people. At first I avoided them because I was afraid that I would become too muscly, I have had a naturally strong physic and was so paranoid that strengthening it would make me look manly so ended up avoiding exercise all together. Recently I felt it is time to let theses old beliefs go and let myself enjoy exercise, this blog is making me want to join the local gym.

Sarah, I have felt the same way about gyms…intimidating, but I have found some gentle exercise classes that are very supportive and these are run in a hall environment. I can practice theses movements easily at home and really enjoy making the time for it.

I love the point you raised about how we can choose to be with our body. We can use it to indulge and relieve ourselves from the tensions of life or we can honour it in every way possible allowing it to enhouse Joy stillness harmony and love.

Our souls love to work and be in service to others and in order to do this we need a physical body that is strong and robust. I have also always found the gym very supportive to building a physical strength foundation and connecting to my physical body more. Sometimes I have overdone it in the past by using the gym as a dumping ground for my unresovlved dillemas and issues. A form of relief no different to over-eating or alcohol or drugs. But those days have largely gone now I am pleased to say and I have a new relationship with exercise and the gym these days.

What has amazed me in recent times is how important intention is when we exercise. As a physiotherapist I have been very surprised at the increases in strength and power and endurance that can be achieved with very light weights if there is an intention to be committed to tenderness, presence and connection with the body when doing exercise movements.

Wow, Donna, I just love your blog, especially the words “the thought dropped in, “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul”. That feels so right to me, I can feel that I too, (particularly my body) would really benefit from some gentle workouts at the gym. For several years, until I moved 8 years ago, I went to a gym and worked out with a personal trainer once a week. It was done under a doctor’s instructions, and was done with a good appreciation for an older person’s body, in a fairly gentle manner, and I remember just how great I felt after a session. But at the time I was not as aware of my connection to my body, and now, with a much greater connection to myself, I can feel just how great it would be to return to the gym and have some gentle weight bearing exercises with the equipment that is available. Time to investigate the possibilities where I now live. I can see now the responsibility I have to strengthen my body, as you say, it enhouses my soul, and it is up to me to support it to the best of my ability.

“The body is the vehicle to house the soul.” I could feel the power in these words Donna and how being honest with ourselves and listening to the depth of what it shares can help us build a strong vehicle for our light filled souls. Truly awesome thank you.

Beautiful Blog, this so because it all brings us back to being in our body – and that Soul is never possible in a body that is empty and lacking of love.. I am inspired by living with my body that is able to receive and life love – I make this my commitment now and I choose to stay with my body so I can build a living house for my soul. I like that!

This string of adjectives to describe a body that is built to express the fullness of who we are, feels amazing – a body that is “strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful” Now that’s the type of body building I’d love to see in all the gyms and leisure centers!

Wow awesome blog Donna, I have in the past totally disregarded myself in over doing exercise but also in many other ways like drinking and smoking. Now thanks to Universal Medicine I live joyfully without sugar, caffeine or alcohol. When I read “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” it made so much sense to me as it is our own responsibility to look after our bodies for if not we can not access the great love and healing that is available to us.

Thank you Donna, I feel inspired to go to the gym and do some light workouts, not for my looks but for the strength in my body. It seems overtime I begin to do some weight lifting I have some ideals or looks that I want to achieve but never do it from a place of connection with myself. And after a while this becomes extremely damaging to oneself.

Thank you, Donna – our body is a vehicle that houses the light of the Soul – when we understand the purpose of the body in this way, the way we care for it completely changes. And when we connect to the truth of our responsibility in letting the light of the Soul be, self-care doesn’t fit within the self any more.

I was a member of a gym for a period of time while being a heavy drinker/smoker. I used to go every morning thinking that I was doing something good for my body. Now I can see how the choice of activity alone does not qualify as caring. All I was doing was really off-setting the knowing of the level of abuse I was inflicting on myself, while attempting to maintain the body shape while I kept poisoning my body. Wow, I can really feel it clearly now. Thank you for your inspiring sharing.

I use to have excessive and unnecessary physical strength as a woman but I have learnt to back off, now when I feel my muscles working and being used because I am not exerting as much force I can feel my muscles rejoice as they love to work this way. It is surprising sometimes how few repetitions of an exercise I feel to do or how light the weight might be compared to what I use to do. I also find the majority of the weight machines in the gym are focused on developing upper body strength and as a woman many of these machines don’t feel suitable for my body.

I love going to our local gym. It is a bit like a comedy skit. I come in my work cloths, go on the treadmill, then work out on the machines and some light weights etc. never really working up a sweat as I am not the sweaty type. I normally have a jumper or two on. The other ladies have next to nothing on and sweat like I have never seen before and do massive weights. I observe how they judge me for not being as strong as them but I feel so content within myself and love my work out that it does not phase me

Another thing I love about my local gym is that some-one added my favorite band Glorious Music’s CD to the play list so I put it on before I start. I have observed that all the women love it and I get to do my work out with out the normal loud pumping music that most gyms have.

That our body is a means to access our Soul is a revelation. Like you Donna the gym has been a ‘some day’ project, I gave it a go a few times and now I feel it is time to take that step. Thank you for the inspiration.

We all exercise to a range of reasons. I used exercise because I had to, to get into the area of work that I wanted to. The interesting thing with this was that I still pushed myself hard to achieve my goal and I hated every minute of it. I was never really into sport either as I didn’t like the competitive nature of it. My reaction to this was to stop exercising. Going back to the gym for me, in the last few years was a quite incredible experience. I don’t push my body at all and I love the feeling I have in my body when I work out. There is no sense of tiredness or overwork, but feeling very long in my body and solid and that’s only after a 20min workout. Thank you Donna for your inspiring and confirming article.

What I love about what you have shared Donna is that it raises questions about the belief that most of us have about all exercise being good for us and the ‘no pain, no gain’ beliefs that are about in the sport and exercise world. Not to mention all the injuries that occur because of this way of exercising. We even have clinics and medical specialties in sports injuries. Your blog introduces the “what if we exercised in another way for the true benefit of our body?”

Donna, Giannotis, I love the confirmation, which I receive in reading your sharing, as I have the feeling the gym would support me and did not make it happen. I have the same feeling that the training in the gym would support me in my confidence of being powerful.

‘Gym’ and ‘soul’ seems like an oxymoron. But if we consider that our body enhouses our soul, strengthening the body with purpose, so it is fit for a purposeful life, it makes complete sense to bring these words together.

I used to be a gym bunny, but it was never something I could sustain. I would attend in fits and spurts and then not attend for months. I have wasted lots on money on expensive memberships over the years. I recently have returned to the gym but this time with different purpose. The drive has gone, and now I have no mission, just a commitment to look after my body and keep it strong. What a wonderful motivation to realise ‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul.’ I will take this with me to my next gym session.

With that different attitude and purpose, I notice I’m much kinder to my body in the gym. I’ll exercise to the point where it feels right, rather than push push push to do a certain number of repetitions or lift a certain weight. Also different days need different things… sometimes a gentle workout to bring me back into my body, and others more as there is a feeling of strength and abundance.

I love the feeling of exercising, the presence of feeling the body in action and the building of physical strength is such a supportive thing to do. In my work I carry quite heavy things and do a lot of standing and physical work in the sense of moving a lot with few breaks. I have found that bringing a focus to making sure I have the right level of fitness and stamina to work efficiently and not get to tired is something I am still working on.

I know what you mean Rebecca! A lot of what we do is ‘motion’ based activity with little or no time for rest. I too am learning how to be in balance and carry out all tasks while not exhausting myself in the process! I used to get exhausted just having a day at home because the way I moved was so stressful, I couldn’t let go and just be me! But now that I have more of a foundation of gentleness and stillness I feel more at ease at home and when I go to work I have this lovely foundation to come back to when I find things challenging.

When I reflect back on how I used to exercise there was a lot of contradiction in the way I lived. I was desperate to be fit and have a great looking body on the one hand, yet in between visits I was drinking, smoking, and had a very bad diet. I have been inspired by the teachings of Serge Benhayon to look at my whole life and how I am living. By embracing the idea that my body is the vehicle to house my soul means I need to treat it with the utmost respect at all times. Over the years I have chosen to stop drinking and smoking and eat foods that make me feel vital and energised. My body is far healthier now than it was before making these changes.

Someone once said the sole has no feet. It makes sense, why would they need them! When our sole is inside of us, what good is it in a unfit vehicle? We don’t need a muscle car or a flash paint job just something that is fit for purpose. One that is serviced regularly, well maintained and lovingly looked after. Then our soul can stick its head out the window and enjoy the ride like one of mans best friends does.

I’ve found there is huge difference too between exercising just to change shape/ the way I look as opposed to exercising to support a certain quality of energy in my body – to build love. The second one is much more enjoyable and the effects go on to support me for a long time after the exercise session.

I feel so silly writing this but mixing bad food with heavy exercise as Donna described – the fact that this is seen as normal and the fact that I saw that as normal feels quite strange. Clearly this is not a helpful combination.

‘I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.’ Thank you for the inspiration Donna and I am feeling it would be lovely to reimprint my only previous foray into gym training which was several years ago and lasted only a few months because I went at it so hard (to get it over with) that I raised my heart rate to dangerous levels in complete disregard of my body. Having recently started doing gentle exercises with weights at home I can feel how supportive it has been not just for my body but also for my overall wellbeing.

I had a very similar experience recently and felt to start a gym membership after not being in a gym for over 20 years. The way I exercise in the gym now is so very different to before. Before my workout was founded on body image so there was little regard for what supported my body as the focus was coming from the outside. As a result I didn’t really enjoy exercising but saw it as something I should do. Now I don’t have any set workshop as my body feels different each day; this forms the way I exercise, some days I feel like longer on the treadmill with little time on weights, whereas other days I feel like focusing on more time spent on weights. Sometimes a longer workout others a short one. I love what this way of exercising offers my body, there is no way I could go back to the old.

Donna what a joy to read your realisation at the gym “The body is the vehicle to house the soul, and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.” And such a joyful way of exercising, no pushing, punishing the body but truly honouring of the body and its amazing function.

It’s really beautiful how you have come to the realisation that ‘the body is the vehicle to house the soul’. It totally changes the way the body is viewed and experienced, and invites a deeper respect for it in every way. Yes, we do need to prepare our bodies so our soul can shine through for the benefit of everyone.

Yesterday I saw a clip from a BBC program on men’s body image and identity where a guy was bleeding from his head due to blood pressure from pushing himself so hard at the gym. That is the craziness of what exercise has become for many. It is great to read Donna, that you are sharing a completely different way of going to the gym that allows you to feel amazing and is a connection to your soul. That push to feel the burn and muscle pain is something I recognise from my past sport experience, and I now see how much it numbed my feelings and took me away from really enjoying being in my body. When we are so sore from exercise that we are moving stiffly, struggle to climb stairs comfortable and other functional daily tasks, then that is a step away from health, not towards it.

That ‘no pain no gain’ approach to exercise is so far of the mark. It doesn’t bring true fitness to our body – instead we suffer pain and quite often injury because we have taken on this consciousness and believe it’s the only way to exercise.

Yes Lucy, the no pain, no gain approach really doesn’t gain anyone anything and it seems ridiculous that we are led to believe that this is the only way to exercise. The no pain no gain approach is seen everywhere from TV shows, to articles, videos and is reflecting to us that this is the way to exercise and is the only way to get results. Fact is, this is not true. Gentle and connected exercise brings so much healing to the body that goes well beyond what the body looks like.

When I was into sport, I fully bought into the ‘No pain, No gain’ attitude, in the same way that it was drummed into us that there was no such thing as second place… just winners and the rest. While we were very successful, I eventually gave up the sport because i) it hurt… alot and ii) it was soul less. There was no depth or meaning to what we were doing, and no matter how many medals you win, that becomes a very empty and unsatisfying existence.

Well said Stephen. I’ve never pushed my body to the ‘extremes’ sports-wise, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t engaged in physical activities that have been free from harm to the body.
What I’ve learnt through the depth of inspiration of Universal Medicine and the modality of Esoteric Yoga in particular, is that without being truly present with my body and honouring the actual signals it gives to me, I am lost on the path of self-harm, no matter what I am doing. This is so deeply liberating – to make the relationship with the body about ‘listening first’. It is staggering how many activities we deem ‘ok’ societally that cause such extremes as the bleeding you’ve described, or throwing up, or damage to joints and more. We most definitely need to restore a way of exercising where we remain in touch with our bodies, and are willing to look at the actual purpose we bring to it in the first place.

I love the “creative accounting” approach to fitness of the days of old, shuffling things around to try to make it all balance out. Eat too much? Twenty more minutes on the treadmill. Boozy weekend? More weights and more reps. Look in the mirror and hate what you see? 3 weeks of punishing workouts and a lovely dose of shin splints.
None of it ever worked…of course. I remember hating working out, but doing it to be good, or look good.
Now it is so different, working out to feel myself move in a way that is powerful and connected. Truly there is nothing like it.

… I used to be such a counter of food and doing work out after to not gain weight. I was addicted to sports to keep or get the shape I wanted. Now I eat differently and I work out “like a granny”, compared to how much weight I lifted and the amount of exercise, but I never felt greater in my body. Even my shape is the most harmonious than ever.For me working out feels like massaging my own organs now. What a change- what a blessing to have the reflection of Universal medicine to question this former way of workout.

!!! So aptly described Rachel, my workouts were like this as a student from about the age of 17 until 32, and then i stopped exercising all together, and 5 years ago got myself back into the gym. I had a period (few years) of rest (introspection) building my body – developing and deepening the relationship i had with myself, that it was of love and honouring … such that my body felt naturally inclined to get into a gym to exercise once again, but exercise a body this time that holds love, not disregard. Exercising my body and keeping it supple and mobile particularly maturing in years means I’ve been using different sets of weights/exercises that naturally supports this transition of a female body. It feels so wonderful and caring to be so precise about this/my body’s condition, its vitality and strength to be able to house the soul.

Me too, love this analogy. It is so true of the way that health and well-being has been approached, and clearly shows the difference between that punishing way and The Way of the Livingness. There truly is nothing like it.

I was talking with a friend recently about this ‘inputs = outputs’ method. He had calculated how many calories were in a particular meal, or a night out, and the next day he would get on the rowing machine and exercise till he had worked out the same number… sometimes on there for an hour and half! The crazy thing was that he did not look well, he knew it was not working but did not understand why not … what was particularly interesting was he was not willing to look at the way he was living… to moderate the inputs as well as the outputs. How can that be a balanced equation?

This is such a common way of looking at life nowadays. That it’s absolutely fine to do all of these things as long as you balance it off afterwards….where is the common sense in this? Why do two things to punish and harden your body when you can cease to do either of them?

I love your comment Rachel, so, so honest and I love the way you express. I can relate to the ‘eating too much’, but boozy and workouts at the gym was never really my thing. From reading this blog and your comment inspires me to work out to strengthen my body to support me to connect to my soul. Our body is so precious and powerful, it’s time for me to start nurturing it to support this.

That’s the key – “…working out to feel myself move in a way that is powerful and connected.” Awesome, and makes a huge difference for me too since I have changed how I am in the gym or do any exercises, thanks to Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon’s presentations on all of this.

Awesome Donna – and so timely for me! I feel I have so much to express and so much to offer the community and humanity but my body feels weak at times – it doesn’t have the strength to follow through what my soul is seeking me to actively accomplish and express. I’ve been feeling it is time for the gym for the while and reading this confirms it. Thank you!

What I am truly gaining a deeper understanding through this is a deepenig awareness of why self care and self love is an integral part of bringing through all which our soul wishes us to impart. We simply have to look after the vessel it resides in – it is a no brainer. And as the constraints and beliefs of growing up in a society which extols self-care as a priority over others is selfish, so this awareness and dedication to myself and my body becomes simpler and simpler to embrace and live.

Donna, loved it, loved it, loved it. You just wrote a blog on what I have been impulsed to do the last couple of weeks, as well as confirmed what I had been feeling. The body is not to be forgotten on our journey back to soul for it is the vehicle of our all.

Kim if the body is the path back to the soul it’s no wonder that so few people have re connected to their soul. Life seems to be set up to keep us in bodies that we continually abuse and mess up. For most, that actually is what life consists of, a series of things (food, drink, excessive sport, over working, emotions etc) that all play havoc with the body, so that the body is never actually pure enough for the soul to come through.

It can be quite fun to watch how you are exercising differently to the rest of the people in the gym Donna, and they will see your reflection of a different way to exercise. You are breaking old patterns here, not only for yourself but for everyone who sees how you exercise with your body, not pushing and fighting against it.

I agree Gill, when we don’t thrash it out in the gym it does reflect to others they don’t have to push hard either but it is not always fun to see how others are exercising and what they are doing to themselves and even worse is when the exercise professionals are the ones prescribing exercises that are too strenuous for their clients. On occasions when on the cross trainer at the gym seeing how others exercise can be intense, so closing my eyes and being more deeply with my body and breath for a few moments can help.

I love closing my eyes as well Deanne when in the gym to offer myself the space to go deeper in my connection with my body. It is such a joy to truly feel and be with the body and feel the extent of what is there on any given day.

The way we go to the gym now and do sports is actually taking us away from our soul. There is so much hardness, drive, pushing and force, and the need to look a certain way. Our body can never be in full service if we keep on pushing ourselves like this.

Yes, Mariette. Exercising in a way that honours the tenderness of the body yet working the muscles so that there is core strength and flexibility is something quite new to me, and my body is loving me for it.

I agree Mariette, we abuse our bodies under the guise of fitness and vitality as we have lost the ability to feel from our bodies. We impose our ideals upon it until such time that it breaks down. Learning to work with and from the body naturally reveals a whole different approach and way of exercising.

You express very important key words here Carolien- …”we have lost the ability to feel from our bodies. We impose our ideals upon it …” – and by doing this, true vitality and strength is not gained, and in the end the body just starts to express its’ pain.
To exercise while being in true connection to one’s body, listening for its’ signals and acting on its prompts will truly provide a strong vital body that can hold the fire of the Soul so much more.

The connection between the body and the soul is a very sacred one and needs to be one of harmony, ,love and stillness. I have tended to exercise in the gym in the past just focussing on my body without acknowledgement of its connection to soul. It would be great to re-imprint this and to feel my body doing gym work in a different way. An inspirational sharing, Donna

Great to bust the myth that pushing your body hard is good for you as it only buries your issues. Also great to highlight that exercising in connection to your body and to what it needs is definitely healthy for you!

It also highlights just how far off the fitness industry actually is. There is truth in the fact that we need to exercise and it needs to be part of our lives, but it missed the signpost that says “Soul, this way” and just kept going.

It is such a huge revelation to connect with the true purpose for looking after our bodies Donna – I agree. There is a lot of love and light to be expressed through our bodies, it is up to us to look after them in a way that supports us to deepen our awareness and feel this love.

A great blog, Donna, I have been feeling lately the need to make a commitment to find a suitable gym to do a little stronger exercise on some equipment. When I read these words you had written, “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” I felt my resolve strengthen. January feels the time to start, only a week or so away. Thank you for the extra pull you have given me to make the start. Yes, we need to really look after our bodies in all ways, it needs to be strong to house and support my soul.

When your realise that our “… body is the vehicle to house the soul” then not only the way we exercise changes to support this but so must the way we eat, walk, sleep, talk, so much everything about the way we live change. It heralds a total makeover paradigm shift.

So true Jeanette that when we accept that ‘the body is the vehicle to house the soul’ then everything that involves our bodies, which is everything, can become a sacred movement in honor of the deepening connection to the Divinity that we all are. Thank you for highlighting this so beautifully.

Donna – a much needed blog that I related too hugely – in the sense that in the past gym was there to make me feel better – I thought i was ‘balancing’ my life of disregard by committing to gym – but the truth is there was no balance whatsoever – and i felt pretty bad about myself.
Now I too can say that my lifestyle has changed completely, and gym is there to support how i am living rather than to fix me or make me look a certain way. I let go of the control of gym and the need for it to keep me in shape.
i am absolutely loving my new relationship with gym – as I can see you are too.

I really liked that : my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. A great purpose to go to the gym. Thank you for the inspiration!

“Going to the gym was a way of pushing my body hard so I wouldn’t have to feel the hurt of the un-dealt with issues that I was still carrying from my childhood.” Giovanna, this is a great realization that can make a massive change in the way we do anything. When we have a need to protect our hurts we easily resort to behaviours to distract us from feeling them and pushing the body gives a sense of doing something worthwhile which makes us feel better until we start to feel the emptiness again and the drive begins again. By recognizing our hurts, we then can break this cycle and start to address the underlying pain. Only then will we be free of the drive to push ourselves. Your blog shows us a way to truly support the body.

This blows the term ‘gym junkie’ clean out of the water Donna, thank you for revolutionising the purpose of what going to the gym can be. I have yet to ignite a new relationship with going to the gym, as the last time I was there it was for me too a place of addictive punishment on my body. I feel inspired now to explore what it can be for my Soul.

I happened to go to a gym the other day for the first time. I was the only one there except for an older man who was lifting weights and making grunting noises each time he lifted the weights. It seemed that he was lifting far more weight than his body really felt good about and then he would collapse on the floor gasping for air. He didn’t seem aware that I was there until I asked him for assistance with a machine. As he was showing me how it worked I saw the tenderness in him underneath the hardened muscles and we connected for a moment. Then he went back to his huffing and puffing but I had seen through the bluff to the real man who only needed to feel met to show himself as he truly is. Gym workouts can be so unloving if one is pushing the body to achieve a certain goal but as you say Donna Gianniotis, a workout can be an “opportunity to deeply connect with feeling the physicality of my body” and to strengthen the body to support it as a vehicle of expression and “express more fully the inner strength”.

I haven’t been to the gym for a while Sandra, but will be returning with some commitment upon reading Donna’s inspiring article here.
The last time I did, it struck me how everyone was using the machines – there was no sense of fluid and true connection to the body, and the ‘grunt’ and pushing definitely dominated. What also struck me was the lack of joy…
Thing was, this once (for me) would have been such a deterrent, along with the pumping music… but I simply paid attention to my own body and how much I felt to do of each exercise/movement – it was actually, truly LOVELY to spend such dedicated time being so present with each simple movement, and deepening my awareness of the structure of my body, what parts I was utilising, how much I felt to do and explore…
I felt that I took a strong foundation from the modality of Esoteric Yoga into the gym with me – and that no longer (as I would have done many years ago) was I concerned with ‘keeping up’ or proving anything at all. This was purely about my relationship with myself and my own body. Who cared if I put the settings on super light!
Am so keen now to get back – what a great experience it was. I’ve been selling myself and my body short by not being there for a good while now…

‘The gym gave me a momentary high and a relief from feeling where I really was at.’ Like so many things that we choose to do. And I am noticing it more and more lately. Being able to see this is such an amazing step in the right direction.

I can relate to this “I didn’t like myself very much although I would never have admitted it at the time.” I had no idea how deeply I did not like myself and then I started considering ‘if I liked myself would I be more gentle, caring and responsible with myself?’ The answer was yes, which lead me to become aware that I did not like myself very much, (on the surface at least) and so I began to learn to care, be gentle and responsible, and now I love myself.

“If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities” – very well said Donna, makes sense, and the soul in its expanse enjoys ease and flow not regimentation or constricted push that limits and squashes.

So perceptive to pick up on the two different ways we can use our bodies “So it became apparent to me on that day last week at the gym, that we can use the body in two different ways.” As you say the ‘short term’ or the ‘long term’, I know I was all about short term, for years and then I was suddenly struck, ‘why have I been doing that?’ I am here for the long game, I want to feel well and feel more connected with who I am all my life, old age for me will not be a time of disintegration and disease, any more than my life should be now. I know I will get old, and my body will tire but this is not the same as allowing myself to go to seed and not loving and caring for myself.

“the body is the vehicle to house the soul” – that is a revelation Donna. It strips back all the false ideals, the temple of youth, being super fit, or super slender or whatever. It is simply a question of providing the best possible vehicle for us to express what is divine in us, consistently… every day…. at maximum volume!

Love that fact of – exercising for soul’s entry as opposed body perfection, it brings back the real joy in exercising as opposed the at times usual chore, or effort to get to the gym… seeking endorphins as ‘the joy’ at the end. There is no chore or effort when there is true connection through the body when it offers the potential of something so very grand living with us every day.

Many of us exercise for how the body will look – fat, thin, muscular, but rarely do we consider how it FEELS. I know when I walk gently, every day, just for 15 minutes, my whole body feels great – a nagging backache disappears, I feel better about myself, I walk taller – and it feels great.

Donna, I just wanted to say you have totally inspired me to look at getting fit in a different way. For the last year I have loved regularly going swimming in the morning before work but more recently I have let this slip and let other things come in the way. After reading your blog I am inspired to continue my early morning swim as you are right by strengthening our bodies we are saying yes to our soul and a big fat yes to love.

Johanne your line is oh so simple but made me stop in my tracks ‘It has given real and true purpose about exercising’. It was the use of the word ‘purpose’, it really made me understand the importance of the ‘purpose’ of any one thing.

Awesome blog Donna. I used to visit the gym and do all sorts of sport and fitness activities to give myself a temporary high, build a body image that would make me feel better about myself because deep down I felt low and lacking in confidence. Now I go to the gym feeling the exact purpose and joy you share here. It’s not about having a perfect body, it’s about caring for my body so that my soul can work through it with ease and shine another spark of heaven to everyone around me… reminding everyone that we all have within us sparks of heaven that our vehicle of expression — our body — can bring through when we cherish and care for it.

I totally agree with this way of being with our bodies. It feels important to my body to be able to hold myself straight, with integrity in the musculoskeletal frame. It is great prevention of injuries and a part of my living medicine.

This is deeply inspiring Donna. I love the fact that are bodies are actually a housing for our Soul to emanate through.
“we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are”.

Beautiful article Donna. I love how you have revealed the true purpose of exercise ‘to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.’ This is enormous!

Great blog that brings a whole other perspective and responsibility to exercising the body. In the past exercising for me was about ‘keeping fit’ and to ensure I looked a certain way though until a couple of years ago had not exercised for a long time. It feels great now to exercise and feel a connection to myself to know what to do for exercise on that day as that is what will support me. I love reading this as it is a reminder that our body has to be loved in order to express the love we are and bring. Thank you Donna.

This is fascinating. The contrast between what it looks like and what is real is revealing. You go to Uni, you look like you are thriving, you have a great figure, everything seems going well, yet, you do not like yourself and you act upon it so not to feel it. Unfortunately, this is really common.

This is true Eduardo, it is very possible for us to go through life presenting the image of the perfect life to everyone and creating the illusion that everything is fine. It’s interesting that we can use our own body to support this outer image without giving a second thought to what our bodies really need or feel like. We just use them as a prop without giving them the respect and love they deserve.

It is just lovely to read and feel that you are appreciating yourself and your amazingness.
I really enjoyed reading about your transformation and how your developed greater self awareness and responsibility; very awesome.
Thank you Donna, I will look at going to the gym in a new light and deepen my understanding of exercise after pondering on what you have presented.

I am inspired Donna. I have let my exercise routine slide into virtually nothing over the last three months. You have reminded me of the true importance of the physical body in connection to expression and who we are. I love the feeling of supporting my body with gentle exercise and need to build the constancy of this into my week.

Donna, thank you for a new level of awareness and an appreciation of the future potential that is waiting patiently. The importance, power and purpose of listening to our bodies is golden beyond measure, they know what they need, when and how – it’s magic if we let it.

What you bring here Donna is the responsibility we all have to lovingly care for our bodies, to honour and nurture them as the vehicle of the Soul they are.
If our body is one of love then the Soul, being love, can enter…if our body is ‘everything but love’ then ‘everything but love’ will be our life.

I have always avoided the gym because I never liked the energy or smell. I can feel so much push and drive, it drives me away. But from reading this blog, it has opened up a new perspective to why the gym can be a supportive place to strengthen, nurture and care for our body.

“a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful.” This feels so whole and “soulful”, a way to express our connection with God in every moment. I only realised just recently as well, Donna, how true it is that unless I build my body with those qualities I will not be able to sustain the connection. I find this very inspiring, what you have written, and it gives me a new incentive to continue my exercises in a new way. It is so easy to get into doing them by rote without feeling the delight and wonder of how a body moves, and feel it it from inside out.

Donna I absolutely love your blog – very inspirational. This is so timely as I have been feeling the same way. Through developing my connection to my tenderness and gentleness I have let go of so much hardness in my body and there is now a beautiful re-claimed softness that I truly enjoy feeling. But as with you, I can also feel that this softness is not reflecting a fullness and as such lacking the power and strength that I also naturally am. Yes it is time to ‘build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.’ – beautifully said Donna. As with this we are choosing to connect to, confirm and live the fullness of all the qualities we all naturally are and so allow the light of our Soul to shine in its full glory through our body of Love.

I love this “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.’ It should be the front page of every newspaper reminding us that we are far more than we currently see and allow ourselves to be.

Donna, this is a great article and it has helped me to look at the importance of fitness and strength in a new light. As someone who has done only a low level of exercise throughout my life, as I age, I’m becoming keenly aware of my increasing loss of body strength. The messages we live with about body image obscure the true importance of having a strong and healthy body which is simply to support us in living more soulfully. I love the new perspective you have brought to strengthening our body.

My previous experience of the gym was to push my body and find relief from the incredible tension I felt, and to meet a body image ideal. How empty and harmful that all feels now. As I unfold my connection with the soul it makes sense that every part of life, including the gym, can become part of nurturing this. Thanks Donna for the awesome new way to view gym work and exercise.

This is so great to read Donna as I have been feeling the need to strengthen my body and kept dismissing the idea of going to the gym for a whole range of reasons based on ideals and beliefs and past experiences. Now I feel inspired to give it a go with the intention of ‘building a body of love’.

I am so grateful for your words Donna, I have reflected on them since I read your blog, it has deeply inspired me to go through my day remembering that “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” this is so important, lets stop the press this needs to be the headlines everywhere. With the deeper understanding that it is through our bodies that we connect to love we get to feel just how important it is to look after ourselves.

I love this ‘“the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.’

I love reading your blog Donna. It took me a while to unwind my old pattern or regime of working out at the gym. It was quite engrained to push weights in counting reps and adding weights. Today that old pattern is gone, now it’s just listening to the body and responding and using much lighter weight. It’s also great to place weights and equipment with care and attention now rather than banging the weights back into position because they were actually too heavy, leaving a very different imprint for the next person to feel.

‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul’. I have always felt this to be so. A timely reminder for me this blog because my body is giving me messages that it needs more exercise but as yet I have not put in place the exercise my body is asking for…… me thinks this needs immediate attention. Awesome blog, thank you Donna.

Donna I am just in the embryonic stages of returning to the gym but can already feel the benefits of connecting to the body this way. As a yoga teacher I am used to strength work and yet the strength work with machines feels so different to the strength work done with just the body. I am intrigued to continue and see what unfolds.

I agree Donna. When I don’t push myself, I feel amazing after a work out. My body loves being physical and muscles love being used, without strain of course. We believe that the human body is the be all end all of existence and I can understand that how our lives can dictate such thinking. To accept that through our relationship with our body that we can bridge our way back to our soul is a huge revelation that will turn humanity’s understanding of exercise on it’s head.

I have been quite trained in my youth and through my twenties, but as a lot, I too have done sports and overrode my body, so that it hardened. Yes from a temporal level I had a good body structure, but not from the level you describe here in you blog, Donna. Since months now I feel I need some exercise to support my body and strength, but I have not considered yet, that my soul would be pleased by me going into the gym. Totally new perspective… And one which will help to do the step finally.

When my father passed away last year my cousin came and saw the body and said exactly what you have shared and what Serge Benhayon has shared many times over, that the body is a vehicle for the soul. When you see a dead body there is no doubt that what was you is now gone. I love that we can have such an amazing connection with our soul in our bodies, its so real and tangible – warmth in my feet, expansion in my chest. Beautiful.

The more I am willing to connect to my body any how it feels and look after it with exercise the more I feel it is super important to exercise and that the body responds by loving you back. Of course not the exercise that drives for some sort of perfection but one that wants to be in connection.

I am discovering this vanessamchardy where you say, of course not the exercise that drives for some sort of perfection but one that wants to be in connection, as I have recently started an exercise program after years and years of no structured regular exercises and the connection that I feel with my body now as opposed to when I did gym a long time ago, is so totally different. Moving with presence and feeling my body as I move feels amazing and very confirming of my body and the precious cargo that it carries.

I have been on the treadmill at the gym, and felt this amazing purpose and commitment in how I walk, it brings to focus that I am all one, head, body, heart and movement all combine to walk in purpose with my soul, with love.

This is the key to everything isn’t it – ‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul.” With that as the foremost knowing, we can start to make choices that honours this. Going to the Gym for me is a time where I also deeply connect to my body to feel what is needed in the gym and how it feels to do what is needed, all of the time. Nowadays, after having been to the gym, I feel contented and I can sense my body feeling the same, we walk out together knowing we have given everything a work-out that leaves us feeling refreshed and connected.

I have never liked the idea of going to the gym – too many stereotypes getting in the way and a laziness of connecting with what my body is saying, doing a work out and it all being very public – great opportunity to be me and not go into comparison.

Yes, so after reading your blog and writing this, looks like going to the gym and being taught how to use the equipment would be super supportive in building a body of love. Thank you.

I agree, Karin, I also never was fond of gyms, but Donna gives a deeper understanding for exercising in the gym and the support this has for the body. It is very different from what I have experienced in gyms and feels much more inviting to go there to experience the support myself.

This is a beautiful blog bringing true appreciation to our bodies with a tenderness feeling and strength that we all are and the importance of honouring this in our daily lives lovingly with every movement we make.It brings a real joy and appreciation to exercise and not a pushing through in hardness and dissconection.

How totally confirming this is Donna “we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.” A truth I cannot deny and every time I allow it, my body confirms this truth back to me.

I love the whole approach and purpose you have taken here in going to the gym Donna. To build a body that has the appropriate strength to meet the tasks of one’s day and hold a consistency of the true soulful qualities you have mentioned.
This is a far cry from exercising without true care and presence with one’s body, pushing the body past the warnings of its ‘pain limits’, looking to create a better physique for approval, attention and more.
A truly honouring approach that makes absolute sense. I haven’t been taking my exercise as far as the local gym for a long time – am inspired to return, thank-you.

I love the truth you have brought to strengthening your body Donna, “The body is the vehicle to house the soul.” I also started going to the gym again after many years. It’s been interesting all the ideals and beliefs that come to the surface, and it’s great to see them for what they are and let them go.

I am learning and feeling the pull more and more to be supporting, appreciating and loving the body as it is my body that affects how I am able to express and move every day. I have also found that simply starting by committing to any form of exercise or movements whether it is a few stretching exercises or some lights weights this is what reminds me that exercise is an important part of the day and week. I feel more focused, energised and connected when I allow this time in the day even if it is just a few minutes.

Yesterday, as I was working out at home, I remembered the drive I would go into to lift the heaviest possible weights I could lift. These days, I exercise to feel the magic of how the body is engineered which comes from a very different intention.

‘my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.’

Beautiful words straight from heaven Donna. Thank you for the reminder of the importance of strengthening the body as my work has taken over of late and my body has come second. The key to enhousing the soul is to give all of the aspects of life equal attention; I am just yet to live this last bit 😉

It is super lovely to feel my muscles working when I exercise with care and conscious presence, so much more yummy than the hardness of the old way, trying to get somewhere or look like something. To build a body of love is a soul-full purpose indeed.

Awesome blog Donna. Thank you for inspiring me to consider doing exercise with weights to nurture and strengthen my body to reflect my soulful light. ‘The body is the vehicle to house the soul’ this is so true. Looking and caring for our body to house our soul is a very loving choice. I am learning and I am constantly being inspired by others who are choosing to connect to their soul.

“The body is the vehicle to house the soul ”and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.
Donna, this paragraph here is so spot on for me now as this morning I woke up with a thought of impatience from my head about my day and then I caught myself and said, these are not the words my soul or heart would speak, my soul would say, ‘how can I serve, what needs to be done’? I had also been asking myself, why am I so reluctant to do more exercise to strengthen my body, so your blog and these words are just what I needed to read. Thank-you.

Donna this blog is so confirming.
Lately i have felt to start my day with some exercises and weights.
The results have been staggering. Through focusing on the quality of my breath and movements my body afterwards has felt richly supported. In fact I feel more alive and purposeful.
What has really amazed me is how much it has supported me to express with greater fluidity and simplicity.
Indeed the light of my soul is at hand.

I agree Lucinda, exercising everyday and swimming is a huge support to me that is with me throughout my day. It keeps me in touch with my body and how I look after it, which I find essential in order to do the long and physical days that I do.

Fantastic blog Donna, I can very much relate to using exercise as a way to not feel my childhood hurts, I used to do long distance running and cycle lots pushing my body to exhaustion, I would feel a sense of relief and numbness, and be able to relax afterwards. I still sometime use exercise to feel better, but more and more I walk or exercise to connect back into my body, when I get to much in my head and thoughts, I find this a much more supportive way to exercise, than the old way.

“It felt super joyful and powerful to claim my body, not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” This is gorgeous Donna; I have started going to the Gym for the first time in my life five months ago,
Is was a huge step for me and I felt a lot of trepidation about the huge tattooed men and the macho ‘Gym Culture’, but I quickly saw through that, and rather than going into comparison I have come to deeply appreciate and honor my body and its uniqueness, and gently connect to the movements as I use the machines, it has made such a profound difference going to the Gym, not only do I feel stronger in my body, I feel I am able to bring more of the amazing soul-full person I am to others I meet, and express more confidently who I am.

“There are certain qualities that I have been focusing on over several years such as being gentle and tender, but what I feel has been missing is the power and the strength.” Ditto Donna, I have had the same experience, I had become to ‘soft’ in my body so to speak, gently using weights is helping me build a body that can en-house the tender, amazing soul-full man I am, and express that in the world, with less and less reservation.

There is a very strong belief and or idea, that exercise or getting fit, has to a grueling self punishing act of pushing ones body to the limits, the mentality of ‘no pain, no gain”. This is not my experience, when I let go of any end result of how my body should look or what I should achieve, and simply connect to my body and muscles as I exercise, it becomes a very joy-full and confirming experience.

The path to the Soul’s opportunities are found everywhere in our daily lives, if we only stop to look at how it can support us to live more deeply connected to our bodies. It’s our body that holds the expression of the Soul…and what better place that a sweaty, gym…i’ve also just started going to the gym….i’ve put it of for years as i had all these ideas about it being only for big muscles – but i love the strength i am building, the presence i have with myself, feeling my body and enjoying it with the purpose to be able to support me to be more of me in my body.

Hi Donna, brilliant blog and observation of self. What you have shared is light years ahead of what we currently have today. The industry of exercise is more built on building layers of protection in the belief that we keep ourselves safe trapped away in bodies that do not feel. This is such an illusion as the less we feel the greater the entrapment. Thank you again for sharing.

Thanks for this super-inspiring piece of writing. I can relate to the feeling of “softness in the body” and how it doesn´t really match the strength we feel and have inside. Sometimes, it is this lack of strength that I feel in my body that makes me want to give up on it! however I know this is just a trick, an excuse from my mind to not commit to life in full. After reading this, I really got to feel how both things come together: commitment to life and supporting the body to develop strength. Thank you for sharing and gracefully unfolding your journey of connection and understanding of your body, it inspires me deeply.

I have always disliked gyms. They look sometimes like display windows with alienated people riding exercise bikes non-stop, showing off their bodies and enchanted by repeatedly looking at themselves in the mirror to see if they finally get to like their bodies, but no matter how hard they try, there is always a feature that doesn´t match the ideal…. It also feels like people go in there “driven” by something and thinking they are being healthy and doing the right thing, but there is this feeling of numbness and hardness I reject…So yes, it certainly feels it is not a place for the Soul to hang around. However your blog is a game changer, one that left me pondering on my own judgements and how I have overlooked the fact that gyms can actually support me to address the lack of strength in my body that I haven´t dealt with, with the excuse that I am still developing gentleness and tenderness to compensate for all of those years of abusse and disregard.
It is awesome and inspiring how you have come to a place where all of these have been naturally and powerfully unfolding to then share and inspire new possibilities to support our bodies beyond judgments, automatisms and dull versions of gentleness 😉

My attitude towards exercise has changed a lot over the last few years and this blog has convinced me that I still don’t do enough to support myself. I do a physical job and always thought that is was enough exercise but by exercising it has really helped support me through the day so I guess if I do a little more or even visit a gym it will help even more.

Learning that there is a way that exercise can be completely honouring of the body, and equally not so, has been fundamental for the relationship I now have with my body. I now allow myself to feel when certain activities do not feel right, and do not do them because someone else said they are ‘healthy’ or good for my body. I am the ultimate reader of this, and can now appreciate more how many things we do as human beings are told to us as being healthy, but in fact are not supportive for our bodies at all.

I was just reading how you wrote: “I go to bed early, I rest when I need to, I eat in a way that supports my body and I no longer drink alcohol, eat sugar or have caffeine. I work on dealing with my issues when they arise rather than burying them and I am open in my relationships.” – this would apply to almost all Universal Medicine students. It occurred to me both how amazing and what a blessing it is that we all live like this now and even more so how amazing and strange it is that everyone does not live in this way!

Building a body of love, that is “strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.” Thank you Donna. You have inspired me to do some gentle weight training again.

I used to do quite heavy weight training years ago to make myself less thin. Men in the gym would stop and stare as I was doing weights way beyond my delicate frame. Also drinking protein shakes and eating a lot – it hardly changed my size but put strain on my body.

Donna what was interesting for me to feel whilst at the gym this morning was that my body is communicating to me exactly what it wants to do. Much in the same way as when I eat, my body knows to the mouthful how much to eat, when at the gym my body knows exactly how many of each exercise it wants to do and complains if I do one too many.

Knowing that the ‘body is the vehicle to house the soul’ gives us a responsibility to nurture it and look after it. When we overeat or choose not to exercise we are limiting our access to the soul and inhibiting it from expressing. So our choices do not just affect us, they affect everyone. What a different way to look at the importance of self care.

I love this line, “a body to house the light of the soul”. This is the purpose, and with this light let it shine. Allowing the soul to become the resident of the body, what a gift for ourselves and everyone else.

“…my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul” ~ with this perspective, going to the gym will never be the same again. Such a great blog Donna breaking down the very strong and long held beliefs about ‘working out’ and ‘being fit’…

I haven’t quite found my rhythm with weights as yet. I was going to the gym seeing a personal trainer earlier in the year, but recently moved so that stopped, although i was finding because I was meeting someone there I would always go and was finding that I wasn’t feeling after a while that I was going for me. But to tick a box. I would always feel great after I’d been there, she was get me to do things that I wouldn’t ordinarily do for myself. But did like how I was feeling in my body after I’d been. But now that i don’t have the ‘appt’ so to speak, the commitment has wained, so revealing to me what i’d set up wasn’t true in the first place. I am yet to get that rhythm going, but your blog has certainly been very inspiring Donna so thank you.

I loved reading this blog Donna, very inspiring and timely for me to read as I am currently staying in a hotel and felt like going to the gym soon. For years I overdid it at the gym pushing my body to the max, and then when I became a Mum exercise became all too hard to fit in. What you present here is gold Donna and I am looking forward to re-visiting the gym with this empowering and inspiring new approach -‘It felt super joyful and powerful to claim my body, not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.’

What an awesome confirmation that our bodies are the way for us to express our divinity. Living as our divine self in no way means that we need to ‘walk like a cloud’ on the earth. It means being here fully, in our strength and presence both physically and divinely. Thank you Donna!

‘…being here fully, in our strength and presence both physically and divinely.’ I love this Naren, a great reminder that we live in physical bodies and that we should make choices which allow them to then in turn support us in our divine expression.

Thank you Donna, this is a reminder of how important it is to nurture and strengthen the body. I have avoided Gyms in the past because I felt they were too hard, intense and competitive. But as with everything it is not what we do, but how we are with ourselves in each daily activity. Gym exercise is no different. We can work out with conscious presence, in connection to ourselves and every muscle. It can all be done in the energy of gentleness.

Great sharing Donna; ” I enjoyed working my muscles, feeling their strength, feeling which muscles lengthened and which ones contracted.” I really relate to this experience and also the feeling that when my connection to my body is honouring of it as a whole, then I can feel how the work in certain muscle groups impacts the whole body and instead of creating tension in other parts, I can hold a tenderness and allow the force of resistance to dissipate throughout the whole body. Apart from feeling wonderful in the workout, this awareness also supports knowing exactly the right weight and number of repetitions to perform.

Great explanation, Simon, of how we can use weights without putting any strain on the body. It is beautiful to feel so connected to the body that every movement can be carried out with tenderness, yet enjoying the strength and stamina that are being built at the same time.

Perfect Simon – and I really take this bit of great information from your comment here: “…when my connection to my body is honouring of it as a whole, then I can feel how the work in certain muscle groups impacts the whole body and instead of creating tension in other parts, I can hold a tenderness and allow the force of resistance to dissipate throughout the whole body.” This is just telling me to pay even more attention to the body as a whole, especially when working out. Thank you for your sharing.

I have to say that some of the fitness classes and regimes are so intense and extreme, in my opinion even dangerous. The body is pushed so hard that it does exactly that, hardens the body. The thing is why so hard, what is the point of such extreme exercises when the extent of the day job is only a notch or two above cruising. I understand the addiction aspect, but common sense is literally out the door.

So true Matthew. I used to love those classes particularly the ‘pump’ class which was using free weights with a bar. I really over did it one day and did my lower back in and could not stand up straight for days, says a lot about why I was there!

Yes Kate, I’ve pushed weights that were so unnecessary to push. There are many cases where the intensity is so high that it permanently damages muscle tissue. So much for ‘pushing through the pain barrier’, not a good idea at all.

I agree Matthew. Even yoga, which is seen as a softer option has within it some bizarre poses that can and do cause many injuries. I used to teach yoga, but gave it up after a while as it comes with that same energy of striving to perfect poses that have absolutely no relationship to what your body is able to or needs to do in everyday life.

Yes Matthew, that is totally crazy, to push the body so hard. As you say, at the end of the day the body hardens after such extreme exercises. A few years ago my body was very hard, I can relate to that very well.

Thank you Donna for sharing your return to the gym but this time with the intent for the body to be strong so as to support the light of the soul, for we are indeed its vehicle. I hadn’t viewed it that way before. But it makes sense, and feels very supportive and loving.

Great blog Donna, exercise can be deeply honouring of our body, and it is important to exercise in connection with the body. I love your words “If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” So true.

Absolutely Sally, that line really stood out for me also. We cannot be neglectful of the fact that we live in a physical body which is deserving of our deep love and care – it’s so important not to forget the role food, exercise, sleep and addressing any stress or emotional disturbances have to play in our physical well-being.

This is so easy to do; going to the gym to push the body so hard not to feel the disregard that was accumulated in my body. Becoming a hard and tuff woman, but underneath the hurt of the un-dealt issues that I was still carrying from my childhood. I can so much rely to your writings, Donna.

Re-reading your blog today Donna – what deeply resonated again was “…my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.” This is an awesome expression and very supportive for anyone starting again to exercise their body with this in mind.

So important what you speak of here Donna, that the body is simply the vehicle of the soul. Where the outer matches and supports the strength of the inner, with a quality of tenderness that enables the divine source to work through us as is intended.

Hi Donna. What you have shared is so inspiring me to get back to the gym. I was turned off as the energy there is so driven and not about self-love at all really. But after reading your article I can now feel that I could walk into a gym with true purpose in mind and therefore be less affected by what’s going on around me. In fact I feel I was affected as I went there with an underlying need to ‘improve’, which I now know is not the way back to the soul.

Using the gym to improve oneself – I can so relate to that Kate. And it can indeed be felt strongly at the gym. I can see how entering the gym with a different purpose can change the whole experience. I find this is the same in any work place or place where lots of people gather – if we are clear in our purpose then it is easy to observe and not absorb what’s going on around us.

This is cool to consider and accept that the way we approach things is the key to their quality, not the thing itself. I have written off gyms, which is pretty judgmental and arrogant. This article opens up the opportunity to consider them in a totally different way, with my attitude being my choice and responsibility and the foundation for what follows.

I must say, the energy is really not good in most of the gyms – what I don’t like is the constant music and many TVs are running. So many distractions are offered – unbelievable. I haven’t been to a gym for a while, but not to get distracted will be a challenge for me.

A great sharing Donna – I’ve misused the gym myself in a similar way. Exercising the body gently with the intention of it being our guide as to what it needs is super supportive offering us a deeper connection with ourselves.

Doing weight training has always been an awesome way to keep myself physically well, however it has been something that I have neglected recently, so reading your blog is a timely reminder to get back into the gym

In the distant past, I never really liked weight training in the Gym. However, the way I now work out in the Gym doing the weights, with or without a trainer, feels so supportive of my body now, and I really enjoy feeling how my body responds and at the same time, being totally in tune as to when it is too much or it is enough.

I so love what you present here Donna; “If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” Building a loving strength in our bodies helps us to embody the light of our Soul. This is so hugely important, and we all are worth it!

Yes I agree Esther, I also love that line, “If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” it is such an honouring thing to want to strengthen the body, but not in a way that is numbing or to check out. I know I have wanted to go to the gym for all the wrong reasons in the past. I am now just re-leanring to be a lot more with me when I exercise, do weights, still a work in progress.

Esther you’re so right when you say we are so worth it. I know one of the reasons I always used to stop going to gym was comparing myself to others at the gym and never feeling I looked as good, or had the right exercise clothes etc. It’s so freeing these days to know that none of these things matter. Rather it is about the quality I bring to exercise, be it at the gym or not, and I am worth the effort and commitment to exercise – what’s more, my body actually enjoys it!

Awesome Donna. I used to gym for the same reasons to numb out the emptiness I felt. I used to have to really motivate myself to go and only could ever really complete a few months max or less before I’d loose interest and drop off back into deep disregard, self-abuse and non-commitment to life. Doing weights the way I did it was for protecting my sensitivity. I am extremely sensitive, and every environment I grew up in was to be tough to fit in. Right from primary school there was an image to keep, to high school doing weights for football, to after school on the Gold Coast, gym was used for a good body and attention.
I fully agree Donna “The body is the vehicle to house the soul” – the way I do gym now is my full commitment to my body for it to hold the love that I am. This reminder I took to my gym this morning – its a lovely feeling to have no agenda to look good but to actually feel good!

I have never liked the gym, I have always preferred to exercise outside. Perhaps this stems from school where almost all sport happened outside. I’ve also struggled with the music played in many gyms but the more I read inspiring blogs on exercise and looking after the body the more I’m tempted to revisit.

Working out at the gym to develop a vehicle for the soul is a beautiful bigger picture to consider, it takes us out of pushing or driving ourself to images that we might have about body image and how we have to look to be accepted.

Yes. Accepting that our bodies are vehicles for the soul changes everything, bringing in a deep and inspiring responsibility for us to take care of and strengthen our bodies, without attachment to them in isolation and/or anxiety about the way we look.

I recognize the two different ways to use the body. For most of my life I abused my body so as not to feel my hurts underneath….Reconnecting to my body and developing this has been a work in process, but now I feel my body is asking for more attention in the form of excercise, to build more strength so that I too can express more fully…. but I have never been a gym fan. Reading your blog Donna has made a lot of sense, supporting me to take myself off to the gym.

Donna I thoroughly enjoyed reading your re-discovery of the gym and the true purpose of working with our bodies. My experiences with the gym have never lasted long and I look back and can see that I went to try and look and feel better about myself, but it just seemed like too much hard work. It wasn’t until being introduced to gentle exercise and the idea of paying attention to the quality I was exercising in that I started to enjoy exercising my body and could feel the strength and power in it. I also realised how much my body enjoys moving and stretching. I’m inspired now to deepen my commitment to exercise with the purpose to build a body of love for the expression of the soul.

The gym has always been associated for me with large muscular bodies, and I could not imagine ever wanting to go there and join in with that kind of hardness. However, I can see now how just by the fact of having a physical body I have a responsibility to be physically fit and strong in order to carry out the natural duties of life. And so maybe the gym is a place where extremes can happen, but that should not stop me or be an excuse for me to not take responsibility and build strength for living in connection with the soul.

Going to the gym can be a way to both confirm our commitment to ourselves and further develop our deep love and appreciation of our bodies, or it can be a way to disconnect, to refuse to accept ourselves and strive to be something different / better / more. As with all things in life, the choice is ours. Thank you Donna for the awesome reminder 🙂

Awesome Hannah, yes, So true… there are two approaches to going to the gym, the striving to be better, focusing on an outcome of image to try and get to or confirming and deepening our connection with ourselves. There’s always a choice to be made.

Absolutely Hannah. I certainly know this for myself having been there before and can now observe it in others at the gym. Today, I offer another reflection of the joy expressed in deeply connecting and appreciating my body in the gym.

Great to read your blog again Donna. It would probably seem like an impossibility to people to do weights gently and tenderly yet that is the only way I could approach it now. We’ve really bought into so much with weight training – we have to do it hard, “no pain no gain”, and we often do weights simply to look a certain way, not because the body needs care, and definitely not because the body supports the soul’s expression! We seem to use the body to deal with the emotions of life – to boost false confidence via body image, to relieve stress, to self punish etc. How lovely it is to use the body with love, for love.

I am experiencing how weights become so much lighter when used gently Melinda! Also my muscles lengthen more when stretching if I consciously release during the movement. And aerobic exercise feels lighter and less arduous if I relax and purely enjoy. This comes about by connecting with myself and my body before I begin and then continuing to observe and stay in the present with the movement as I continue. This is so much more supportive to my well being than driving hard, making effort and trying to reach goals.

Donna, I can relate to what you have shared in pushing the body hard at the gym for relief and trying to look good and feel better about myself and it always felt like such an effort and a duty to go. The huge difference now when I exercise is that by staying in connection with my body as I move gently feeling what movements truly support me I feel joyful in myself, which I never did before as my body was so hard, including my breath.

‘I have recently had an inclination that there was more I could be doing to support my body.’ This is such a wonderful place to start. The idea of doing something to support your body, rather than drive it or try and fix it or change it.

Just had to re-read your blog again Donna – and it was great to see your realisation that not only is the body the vehicle that houses the Soul, but it is also the means through which the Soul can access us. So the more we keep the body in a state of love the easier it is for us to hear our Soul’s communications to us.

Donna what you have written in your awesome blog inspired me very much as I am avoiding to go into the gym again. As you I had worked hours and hours in the gym to be fit have a good body shape and to numb myself and I have the feeling that I had worked so much that it last for the rest of my life. But reading your lovely words I only can agree that our “body is the vehicle to house the soul” and this vehicle needs to be supported. To see gym exercises like this is a real good purpose for me to find my way back to the gym.

I have never been to a gym – I have avoided all I saw there and have been judgmental about people using gyms for ‘body-betterment’. This article has invited me to look very differently. Could 2016 be the year for me to start a relationship with gym training, knowing, as you have expressed, Donna, that is is my responsibility to take care of and support my body so that it is in great shape to house and express my soul. Thank you.

With a slightly different routine my rhythm of exercise is taking the back seat. Your wonderful reminder that the purpose of exercise is to support our bodies lovingly so we can house our souls, not just tick the exercise box. Thank you, Donna with great appreciation for you blog.

I definitely remember pushing myself at the gym, in a way that was driven by hating my body and not in way to actually support it to function and move in a healthy way. It’s amazing what I was able to do with this drive – that came from self-loathing. Now I exercise and really enjoy working out, but not coming from a place where I am trying to attain perfection or the image in a magazine as I had done before. I am now able to focus on how my body feels and honour this first and foremost. I have an excellent exercise coach who supports me in this, and this is invaluable.

Yes, Amelia, I agree that having someone to help you develop a program that suits your body really helps, and then you can tweak it to suit how you are feeling each day. Committing to your body in this way feels awesome, and I actually find myself looking forward to exercising and having that time focussed on strengthening the body – who would have thought!

It feels so good that you are such a shining light holding your Love for yourself in a place where you will be observed and compared by the other gym users, as you all exercise together. Simple conversations can build as you develop relationships with people and everyone will get the reflection of how you are with your body, exercising very differently.

Its astonishing isn’t it Donna, how much time and effort goes into exercise to compensate for poor food choices, burning up extra kilojoules from food with hardly any nutritional value. Instead, we could choose to eat well and then find that gentle exercise was the perfect complement and took our already great levels of vitality that came with eating well, through to roof.

Thank you Donna. I too have been regularly attending a gym and my body loves it. There is a joy i feel when working out with the opportunity to focus on the quality of how i am moving with conscious presence.

You write about “… knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul”. I can feel in your article how much that changed the way you went about your exercise routine and how supportive and enjoyable it is for you now. Very inspiring, thank you.

I haven’t quite got to a Gym yet but who knows that could be the next step. I am finding exercise is as important as say brushing my teeth and eating nourishing food. I have always been very physically active so I thought that I exercised quite enough but the more I exercise and stretch my body the better I feel during the day. The one thing I can’t understand that in knowing this my mind or spirit still tries to convince me to lie in bed a bit longer eating into my exercise time.

Your blog Is very timely Donna, as I have decided to address my lack of enthusiasm for exercising my body, which is really, me saying no to deepening my connection to my body, the vehicle for my soul. It’s funny though, as when I was younger I was a gym junkie and hated missing a day of going, but I can see all I really loved was the distraction and numbing it gave me while I was there, so I can see I have the commitment, I just need to let my body have a say as to what it truly needs now and honour that.

There has been a real inconsistency for myself around exercise and especially weights. So your line “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” really connected with me. Really being able to feel this before exercise or when exercising will help bring a tenderness and purpose to exercise that in the past has not been there.

Well, I did it, I had my first session yesterday, so I am on my road to building a stronger divine body and it feels so good to being doing. The difference in how I approached each of the exercises as part of my accessment was totally different to how I did them in the past, which was totally numb and only focused on the repetitions and what was next to do. It felt so lovely in my body and I didn’t have that need to just get them done, I was just enjoying feeling my body moving in this way. It was pointed out that there is grace in my movements which I knew I had felt before when I moved, but not actually claimed that for myself. So on reflection, exercise in this way, is the most beautiful way to strengthen my body and deepen my connection to my essence at the same time. It’s a win win all around, so awesome.

Wow Julie this is beautiful to read how you have returned to the gym and making this commitment to yourself and your body. It is super important that we clock the changes that we feel in our body and deeply appreciate that when we commit to our body, we commit to ourselves, to our path of return, to love, to God, to returning to Heaven.

Good for you Joe, I agree what Donna has expressed here in informative, wise and very inspirational.
“If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities”.

“It felt super joyful and powerful to claim my body, not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.” I love this line Donna and your blog inspires me to find my own exercise routine to suit my body and to support myself . This feels amazing. Thank you.

We use a car to travel about, in which we fill it up with petrol and service it to maintain its movements, clean it, polish it, and tend to it and yet it can be easy to not attend to our physical body in the same way as exercising it to maintain its movements and energy levels. Our body needs care and attention for it to be the vehicle to express the light of our soul, and exercising with connection, a sense of ourselves, is just as much strength building as building physical strength.

Everyone I meet who has attended a presentation of Universal medicine says the same thing:
“Fast forward twenty years, I am now, thanks to Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness, living my life where I take good care of myself. I go to bed early, I rest when I need to, I eat in a way that supports my body and I no longer drink alcohol, eat sugar or have caffeine. I work on dealing with my issues when they arise rather than burying them and I am open in my relationships. Generally I feel pretty awesome, a far cry from how I felt back in those University days.”
Serge Benhayon should be studied by scientists from across the globe; he has started a quiet revolution by giving people a choice that mostly we don’t think we have, to a healthier more vital way to live our lives.

The ‘quiet revolution’ beautifully sums up what Serge Benhayon has inspired Mary. The vitality and quality that we have brought to our lives will one day be studied, I have not doubt about that. Bringing love back to our lives simply living our natural way. It should not be such a phenomenon or so revolutionary! When we can accept and live more our natural loving way, then we may be able to accept that we are even more than that!

“It felt super joyful and powerful to claim my body, not because I wanted to look better but because my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.” I love this Donna such a turnaround from mainstream thinking and yet so very true.

There are many aspects of life we make wrong, yet as you show here Donna, it is the way we approach these activities that leads us astray. What if we were to bring this awareness of our soul to every sphere of life? Would we not then, choose to live a very different way?

It feels great to be taking responsibility for my body as the en-houser of the soul when I choose what to eat. I meet so many people who just eat whatever they feel to indulge in and then flog their bodies hard to burn off the excess. It is actually so much easier when I look at the whole picture in the first instance I find.

Donna what I have become aware of since starting up at the gym is that I find my eyes wandering towards my body to see if there are any ‘results’. The interesting thing is I am so aware of this when it happens that I don’t actually get to check out my body because I stop myself before my eyes meet my arms but it’s a fascinating thing to feel as I rarely looked at my body in this way before. Checking out your biceps isn’t exactly soulful is it !

How great it is that you are able to observe these old patterns of behaviour Alexis and not change how you exercise. The sneaky mind tries to catch us out so we slip back but when we are present, we don’t need to react.

This is great Alexis. Our bodies are magnificent reflections – every cell is amazing. Catching myself when I slip into any glamour or ‘results seeking’ is a great way of reminding myself of my purpose and then feeling the new level of relationship with the body. What a great marker!

…”who would put the words gym and soul together?…” Great question Donna, they seem polar opposite at first glance, but in fact it is so true what you have shared in your blog. Exercise really does help you feel connected with the body and this connection with the body is the bridge towards feeling the light of your soul, especially when the way you exercise is with being aware of your body movements and your breath.

Thank you Kerstin this is so true we can connect to love and soul wherever and whatever we are doing. Sometimes I struggle with the simplicity of this and choose instead to make things more harder for myself!

I haven’t been to the gym for 5 years now and your sharing inspires me to go there again. I love how you describe the 2 ways of training with the weights. We can built a strong body to express our light or we can look for relief, because we have difficulties to cope with life – what a big difference.

Yes Alexander, it is a huge difference and I have found it very confirming to know and to feel the true purpose of dedicating my hour or so at the gym. There is such a different feeling pushing the body to achieve and exercising to honour the love/light I am. The former regime totally separates me from my body whilst my current purpose, is holding and loving.

“It consisted of fatty foods from the University cafeteria with minimal vegetables apart from lots of potatoes. So to keep me in shape I would spend hours pumping iron, increasing my cardio levels striving for the perfect figure, …” It is so interesting to observe how many people think in calories and eating unhealthy or high carb meals and then having to run it off or work out a certain amount of time to loose those calories again. This to me feels miles away from what the true purpose of eating and exercising is. What about eating to nourish and nurture our body and what about exercising to create a strong body that is able to do what we need to do in our every day life?

‘The gym gave me a momentary high and a relief from feeling where I really was at.’ This made me connect to other things I might be doing to avoid feeling where I am at and appreciating myself as I am. “we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.” This way of being we can bring to all parts of our lives, whether we are cooking, going for a walk, sitting at the computer or in the gym, and I can feel more easily from your blog and the comments, how working out in the gym could support and confirm us in this. Thank you Donna Giannotis.

I have never been a big fan of the gym as I didnt’t like the feel of most of them, but I know how exercising can bring an enormous connection to myself and I feel vitalised afterwards. Daily exercise is my way of ‘tuning in’ to me and how I am feeling.

The soul is all about purpose so it makes sense that we prepare our bodies so that we can live a purposeful life where the body supports us in that. Awesome blog Donna, reminding us of this important fact.

My gym membership was inspired by my impulse to use the time to develop my relationship with my self, and like you Donna, to support my body to express the love that I am, both for myself and for whom I meet and interact with. When the purpose is clear and I lovingly feel the support I am offering myself, gentle exercise is like a honouring of my commitment to myself. Holding myself in my gentleness and stillness is absolutely possible even whilst there is music playing and others pounding away beside me on the treadmill. I am enjoying taking myself out on my dates to the gym!

Our bodies need to be fit in order to deal with life. A compromised, malnourished body just isn’t able to serve. Equally a hardened body with tight muscles is no good, as in my experience there needs to be a certain fluidity and ease in the body for us to feel our sensitivity and what our body’s communicating to us.

I do agree, Shevon that there is a fluidity required in the body in order to be with our sensitivity which I feel on my daily walk. Yet after reading this, I am reminded of all those niggling impulses to get back into an exercise routine that develops the strength and power in my body. My experiences at the gym have always been short lived as I find it hard to relate with machines! Swimming has always been ‘my thing’ yet like Donna, have been putting off for that ‘someday’ when the space opens up to allow it in in a regular and consistent way. Perhaps the biggest obstacle I allow, is the notion of having to pay to exercise….that I am somehow not worth this extra investment in myself. Much easier to pay a couple of dollars here and there for the pool! This article has given me lots to consider as my body is here to serve and my reticence to committing to a dedicated exercise routine is capping the power and strength I can express from my Soul.

The whole gym mentality of pushing and striving for the perfect body is a perfect means for totally hardening our bodies and numbing ourselves to what we feel but don’t want to is massive. I love how this article exposes this long running trend and shows that there is a very different side and purpose to exercise and weights. How beautiful to simply experience the joy of deeply connecting to our body in this way so that we are fit for purpose and are able to express the light of our Soul. I’ve avoided the gym for some years but feel re-inspired to return!

I’ve been contemplating returning to a gym recently, I haven’t rejoined yet, but I know I would enjoy returning to swimming in the pool more regularly. I do exercise most days with a walk or a gentle exercise program and can really feel how much I miss it if the weather is bad or I don’t make enough time. Nurturing the body is a commitment and connection to our soul, most definitely.

Donna I have also found gyms quite confronting but I realised this feeling stemmed from a belief I should know how everything works ,I should dress the part and most importantly look the part. When I let go of these silly ideas the idea of the gym is no longer intimidating.

I can very much relate to what Toni says here as I too have found the gym quite intimidating. I used to get so anxious and nervous worrying about whether another was watching me, afraid I would mess up! Looking the part was very important to me too. And then there was the instructor especially if he was a man… there was so much going on! It is no wonder I haven’t been to the gym since! Becoming more aware and very gently getting to know myself has built a confidence within and as I let go of these ‘old’ feelings of going to the gym, the prospect of going back and re-imprinting comes nearer.

It is beautiful to feel how as I become more claimed in my self-love and care throughout my day in all my life, the relationship I have with my body at the gym deepens into a deeper love and care. As it deepens I can feel a greater claimed-ness in my body when I am doing my exercises so the exercises are not just a physical workout but a claiming of me and my beautiful body.

I have come to feel that when I exercise at the gym that my body absolutely loves the machines that use pulley systems. My body adores the feeling of sliding and gliding that is emphasized with pulleys, I find it very rhythmic and almost hypnotic.

All of life can be seen as a pathway to the Soul if we are at first connect to our own divinity. God’s light is not something outside of us, nor it is beyond us, and nor is it intangible or mysterious. It is none of these things, and the fact that we see it as such is merely, when put simply, due to our choice not to be aware of its existence. When we re-connect to the fire of its essence, we are inspired to live life differently, and everything, go to gym included, has a different purpose.

The gym is now part of my weekly rhythm where I usually go twice per week. Like the refinement that takes place with food as we connect deeper to our soul and certain foods drop off because they no longer feel supportive in the body, I am finding the same with my refinement of exercise, from what exercises I do, to the way I do them, to the amount I do. Each visit to the gym and each day is an opportunity to go deeper into feeling what is truly supportive and to be open to it constantly changing.

Yes Donna, this is very true, there are always opportunities to go deeper and refine what is truly supportive for the body but sometimes I can reach a level and this is where I am at with my exercise, focusing on the building my consistency with exercise but not being totally open to the changes that can take me deeper to support my body. This is a great reminder for me to be more present and open with my body when I exercise.

absolutely fantastic blog Donna! You have touched on so much. Its great that you mentioned that after a while you managed to become more gentle with yourself and accept your natural tenderness and fragility, (which is so awesome as no where in life are offered to feel of know this) but the Soul is more, it is full of power and strength and our physical bodies can be that too, not in a hard or masculine way but in a very loving and fun way. Once I found this was what I was resisting, weight lifting has become fun and I now do it a lot! Thanks again or sharing your experiences.

Donna, you have also touched on something so very deep here.. the pain and misery that can be there when we are blossoming into life. It is something we loathe to feel. We can choose many distractions and hobbies which can make us believe we are ‘okay’ because we are socialising, doing normal things, and ticking boxes etc but it doesn’t come close to the joy of living with our Soul.

Something that I have noticed whilst at the gym, is that there is a feeling, particularly amongst the men in the weights section that they are being watched. I remember this feeling from my old gym days, it was as if I was a big eye looking at myself from the outside as to how I looked and how I moved, a kind of a constant assessing. When I go to the gym now the difference is huge, I tend to have my eyes closed for most of the time and have no sense of looking back at myself, moreover I have an almost constant feeling of looking at myself from the inside.

Yes Alexis, exercising from the inside is very, very different from the classes I attended many years ago where my focus was on keeping up with the group and the weight training was purely done for my bodies appearance. I have not been to the gym since but I love to stretch and do gentle hand weights in my own home where I love to focus on my body and the connection with myself.

“If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” I can feel the purpose you have claimed Donna, thank you for this inspiring sharing.

This is so beautiful and an inspiration to read, I have always struggled with the purpose of exercise in pushing ones body and now i know why . I love your sharing and know it to be true.” my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am. If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities.” wow what a revelation thank you Donna

The body being the vehicle to house the soul seems to me to bring a whole different type of responsibility to looking after ourselves, for it is true the soul won’t even come a knocking if the house is in total disarray.

Choosing the joy of living with our soul over the pleasure of the body isn’t really a choice as such. It is a way of being and understanding that we are so much more that the ‘eat, drink, sleep’ version of life. Yes we do choose but the difference is saying yes to divine connection for which there is no earthly comprehension and comparison doesn’t apply.

“I didn’t like myself very much although I would never have admitted it at the time. Going to the gym was a way of pushing my body hard so I wouldn’t have to feel the hurt of the un-dealt with issues that I was still carrying from my childhood.” I am sure there are a lot of people, myself included, who could relate to what you have said here. There are many things in life that we don’t want to feel. But what we omit to realise is that the more we fight it and push away or down the hurts we don’t want to feel, the more they hang around and stay. It is to allow ourselves to feel, that then doesn’t foster wanting to numb ourselves either at the gym or with other things.

To deepen the connection with our body is actually very simple when we start to feel the purpose of our body, I love what you share here that how building strength is a support in expressing the inner strength.

Yes, Annelies, feeling the purpose of our body is a good way to put it. This inspires me to make a greater commitment to caring for my body, in whatever way is needed so that I can express more fully in my daily life.

I was never able to appreciate body-work-outs before because I always associated them with a ‘type of person’. I just saw the gym as a place where ‘those people’ did ‘that kind of thing’. This was very arrogant of me, but also it shows how in general it is possible to segregate people in to groups just by the activities they take part in.

I can remember commenting to my mother when I was a child the importance of exercise and when I was older it was going to be something I was going to do. This has come true. My body loves exercise and I love taking care of my body in this way. “The body is the vehicle to house the soul” and with this purpose I cannot but look after my body to the best of my ability to support this.

As I sit with this blog, feelings of going to the gym in my past begin to very gently bubble to the surface. There is much for me to feel here and this blog offers me a wonderful opportunity to re-imprint my visit to the gym. Thank you Donna for sharing… your blog is very inspiring.

Donna, you have inspired me to try the gym again but in a different energy than in the past. I want to honour my body and not harden it, feel my body lovingly and not try and change it to something that is not supporting me. Thank you

The line that stood out for me strongly when reading your post today was “the body is the vehicle to house the soul”. In simple terms I feel this as through our love, care, commitment and dedication to the way we live and our body it allows our soul and all we are to shine and express. A lovely reminder when it can be easy to get caught up in the next thing to do.

Yes, what is more important than expressing our love and care through the way we move, so that others can be reminded of another way of being. This can be seen as a huge responsibility, or it can be lived naturally, simply by staying in touch with the light of our soul.

Understanding the true purpose of the body as a physical being in which the soul is transported around, makes me realise the importance of looking after it. As a young adult, I remember my arrogant irresponsible thoughts that I would look after my body later, showing my knowing but ignoring the body’s needs. It needs nurturing with great care throughout a lifetime of many years with gentle exercise and lots of rest to fulfil its proper function.

Since I started doing an exercise program after a very long time also Donna, I too am really loving being with my body through the movements and really feeling how my body feels through each exercise. Yesterday as I was doing an exercise, I could feel what you share about it not being about how we look, it’s all about how we are feeling, no matter what we are doing, that’s what brings the fire for the soul, feeling your truth and strengthening the body to express that truth.

What you are sharing here Donna is applicable to all. We all need strength and a degree of fitness as well as tenderness to embody the qualities our Soul offers us. It is also applicable to all that we can work with consistently with weights to the degree our bodies require and try some machine weights if necessary to build up to free weights, to develop upper body and back and abdominal strength as well as lower body strength. It is wonderful to feel this balance and the harmony that can be felt in movement when fit in this way.

I am certainly finding working with weights a balance between building strength but also holding my tenderness. It is such a different way to exercise and I am really enjoying the dance between the two. I have also recently just started using free weights which has brought a different level of awareness of working the body that I am really enjoying.

That’s quite interesting in itself, progressing from machine to free weights. Muscles called ‘synergists’ operate more perceptibly with free weights – those which support the main muscles performing the movement and therefore support balance, posture and joints under the duress of the extra weight. It is a little similar to working with a group where everyone is switched on and supporting each other, working synergistically.

I have totally looked at exercise differently since reading this blog. Wow what a responsibility we have to treat our bodies well so that our soul with its awesome love and light can be with us – very profound – thank you..

I feel this blog relates so clearly to my walk each morning. I can feel the quality in which I walk throughout my body but can also feel my body’s role in it. My posture is super supportive of the quality I walk with and this is directly linked to the condition of my body and muscle tone etc. I can really feel the benefits of exercise on the condition of my body in supporting my expression.

Yes, Michael, in recent years I too have felt the importance of developing core strength and having greater awareness of how it supports everything I do throughout the day – how I sit, move, and even speak.

Michael I agree that posture is very important. Since I have started visiting the gym regularly my body feels a lot stronger and I am now much more aware of when I slouch or am not standing straight. When I exercise in the morning I get a wonderful feeling of my blood circulating round my body. It’s so invigorating and sets me up for the day.

Recently in the gym, my partner and I were welcomed with the words: “Welcome, the two of you, what a rare light to be seen in these rooms of shadow.”
I was stunned by the body builder’s expression and reminded of the fact that not only am I there to strengthen my own body, but through my way of exercising to reflect lightness to a place where it’s normally about straining the body.

Wow Felix thanks for sharing. This really is a confirmation that we shine our light where ever we go and the importance of bringing all of ourselves in whatever it is that we do equally. Very inspiring!

Beautiful Felix! What a great confirmation of the love you two bring. In gyms the energy of competition and needing to be better is intense and can be quite intimidating yet you two walk in already in your full glory – love it!

Wow indeed, a great inspiration from someone not holding back their expression about the light before them, rather as children do and a reminder that we can be that direct even with those we have only just met, and truth will be recognised by its quality, its resonance.

“Now who would put the words gym and soul together? I know I certainly never would… that was until last week.”
Donna I love this line because for me it sums up the Universal Medicine elixir beautifully – the normality of everydayness alongside a profound awareness of the soul – a life changing duo.

I still haven’t yet managed to set foot inside a gym but the more I do exercise in the morning the more energised and vital I am for the rest of the day, I seriously wish I had known the benefits at a far younger age.

I went to the gym yesterday. My workout took about 45 minutes from start to finish, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I can feel how my body is getting stronger, without any big push or straining. My back has always been my weakness, but with some core strengthening, I am noticing that I am experiencing less problems with it. Exercising is a big part of how I look after myself these days.

I overheard a personal trainer talking to his customer yesterday. He was showing his client how to use the rowing machine. He took his time and made sure he was using the machine correctly. At one point he said, ‘as you can see, I am not into competition.’ I got the impression this gave his client permission to go at his own pace and not have to push or prove anything. A very refreshing view, and not the norm in a gym.

That’s lovely, Debra! I’ve also found that gyms generally do not operate in this manner. There are messages in posters, signs, TV ads, and even watching others work out, that encourage people to push themselves hard, as if achieving a toned body (or whatever one is going for) is a battle to be won.

I am learning to hold myself steady in this environment, to focus on how the exercise feels in my body and not what everyone else is doing or looks like.

I really enjoyed reading your experience back at the gym . What stood out for me was the reminder that our body is the vehicle to house the soul- so it makes sense to support the body by gaining strength and power by doing gentle weights.
I may consider doing this myself in the near future.

“If the soul is love, truth, harmony, stillness and joy – which it is – it cannot reside in a body that does not reflect these qualities”
I am going back to the gym for the first time in many years. I am feeling what the true purpose is for me to go back again and what you share here , Donna is gold for me. I am going to truly honour my body and to develop an inner strength something quite foreign to me in my previous gym life. Thank you.

Awesome blog Donna. I can relate to the way you describe exercising prior to your introduction to Universal Medicine. I remember doing hideous spin classes to glaring music and feeling anger and other emotions surge through my body. At the time I felt this was a ‘healthy’ way to deal with my emotions. Now with the benefit of hindsight I can see that there was nothing healthy about my approach at all. I was left with unresolved issues and a very sore behind (those bike seats are painful!). When we connect to the fact that the body allows us to access our soul it becomes glaringly obvious that we must honour how precious this body is. Building a body of love through our workouts sounds pretty incredible to me.

Donna for me it is a challenge to strengthen my body not from a push or a drive but from a place of stillness and true power. So to read your awesome blog was even more an invitation for me to put my self into this beautiful challenge.

This blog brings to mind how, if the soul is the most precious thing we can feel or even know about, then surely we would want to give it the best most awesome place to be and express itself. This changes how I feel about my body and the exercises that I do, why I do them, and how even more greatly supportive they could be.

I started exercising just over a year ago. Gentle weights, aerobic exercises and stretching. I love it and it makes me feel great, but every time I don’t feel 100% the programme gets put on hold for a few days. I would love for it to be more consistent and this is what I am working towards.

Doug, I am finding the same experience – I can see how the consistency will help support me and grow me, but it seems like there is still something there that is stopping me from really embracing it all. I get spurts of exercise in but the consistency is still not quite there…something to keep working on…

Your blog really puts things into perspective Donna about what our body is here to bring through. I’ve had a subscription at the gym for a long time now but have not gone for months… I say I’m just donating at the moment and ‘some day’ I will get back. It is very much a deliberate choice though to not go. My body does not feel strong, and this is just the inspiration and focus I was looking for to read today.

I was a regular at the gym in my 20s and early 30s, pushing myself hard every time — ‘no pain no gain’, right? Wrong. I stopped going when I believed that working out could not be done truly gently. Also wrong.

Now when I lift weights, I do it slowly and lift only as much as I can without pain. The beauty is that when I exercise in this way, I am naturally more aware of my body and how I feel.

I have always hated the idea of a gym – I had an image of sweaty, smelly, harsh places and machines that were difficult to use when it came to adjusting the weights. However I was pleasantly surprised when I went for a tour of a local gym – I found it a pleasant place with really easy to use equipment a diverse range of people using it, even people much older than myself. I can see myself attending this gym regularly in the winter months as a pleasant and supportive means to strenghtening and toning my body.

Donna thank you for reminding me of the fact that we do have a body that is here to be cared for and to be respected and that it is designed for service. No different to the fact that we put the right fuel into our cars and take them for regular services and ALSO for regular drives (NOTE that when a car sits around too long and does not get used, this is not good for the car either!)…our body too needs the right foods, care and also exercise! How we drive the car (with care and gentleness OR perhaps revving the engine and spinning and doing donuts, speeding on a cold engine etc will of course have its consequences – similarly so we do also need to bring the care to how we exercise the body, gently and respectfully or in a way to burn it out. Thanks again Donna for this great reminder of how we are far more than our physical bodies, yet what an important role the body plays in all of this.

I just started at the gym after having felt that impulse to go for a while! And I agree with what you are sharing Donna. When working out at the gym in connection with my body and with the purpose of building my body to be physically able to do the things that are needed in my life – it is such a joy to be at the gym and work with my body.

What I am really loving about the gym is letting my body discover different ways to use the machinery. For example I love to use the leg machine to stretch my lower back, I stack on more than I would for my legs and then press my legs out straight and let the weight stack lean against my back, it feels fantastic! I also use this machine to stretch my calves, when the body is given free reign it comes up with all manner of innovative ideas and when we keep it assigned to a narrow set of tasks then it is free to come up with nothing.

Great reminder Donna – … ” “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.” I also find when I exercise at the gym I am very aware of this fact, especially when doing core strengthening exercises, so that my centre can hold the fire of our soul more and more .

I love this Donna – “we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.” Beautiful expression and very confirming my own purpose and work at the gym, thank you.

This is my experience too Donna – “we can work with the body to build a body of love, a body that is strong, gentle, tender, precious and powerful, with no holding back so that we can express fully who we are.” Working out in the gym with this aspect in the foreground makes it really fun as we can only do this when we are truly tuned into our body and what it tells us.

“I am now planning to incorporate the gym as part of my weekly routine as a way to deepen my connection with my body in a way that I have been missing, which is building strength so that I can express more fully the inner strength that innately resides within me and equally within us all.” – Yes I have firmly incorporated my gym sessions in the week for quite some time now and I am also finding that it supports me tremendously in my physical well being, my emotional state of being and also in handling challenges and other things that come my way. The core within is strong and I feel so often now that because of that I have much more access to the communications of my body as well as my innermost self.

I loved reading this blog again this morning Donna and reading the wisdom you have shared, this line is a beautiful reminder to carry into my day thank you ‘ “the body is the vehicle to house the soul” and in every ounce of my being I felt that my purpose for being there at the gym was to strengthen my body, knowing full well that my body is not the end result but is a means to access the soul.’

I can confirm in my Gym experiences the feeling of many people looking quite drained, empty and trying to fill up from the intensity of the exercise – yet it doesn’t make sense because their bodies vitality does not anywhere near match the intensity of exercise they are taking on – be it weight lifting, aerobic machinery or otherwise, even in group exercise classes. There is a clear feeling of people dragging and forcing their bodies reluctantly into the exercise hoping they will feel better afterwards and is clear now that this is the vast majority of people I have seen going over the last few years. It struck me from what Donna was sharing about her experience, how this is a stark contrast to working with the body to connect with the stillness and joy of our Soul. Where the exercise is not a drudgery but a way to honour what our bodies represent in terms of a vehicle of expression.

I was talking to a gym enthusiast I know who commented most people in his gym are strapping up injuries so that they can continue to push through. Another common practice is to take pain killers in order to be able to train, It starts out to numb the pain of an overworked part of the body but ends up an all year round self medication where a stop-off to the wholesale chemist is necessary on the way to the gym. It cant be good to ignore what our bodies are telling us like that.

Thank you Donna, there is an honesty you brought to this process. Looking below the surface to not make do with it being functional, numbing or avoiding. Excercise is an amazing opportunity to connect with our bodies and build a strength in them to hold love, truth, joy and harmony as lived experiences rather than ideals.

Great timing reading this- I have just done a stretching and light weights session, which I haven’t done in quite a while and it felt great. I’d been having issues with a depressed digestive system- however I can feel how the stretching exercises helped to shift this.

I see so many people on the weights machines who are stalling to start their exercise and who rush to finish, this for me is a reflection that they are not enjoying what they are doing. Why is it that we have turned exercise into something that we don’t enjoy? When exercise is done in true connection with the body then every part of us relishes it and there is no hesitation to begin the next exercise, there is simply an enjoyment of deepening our relationship with ourselves.

I really enjoyed exploring how the qualities of love, stillness, truth and harmony could be better expressed in a body that is well taken care of through exercise, and the connection between our inner power and inner strength and weight training. For a body to serve humanity and house the soul, it does need to be a very well cared for and loved vehicle.

I agree Donna our purpose of exercising is very important a and what a great purpose you have here, ‘my purpose was to build a body that has the strength to hold the light of the soul and the light that I innately am.’

I often find that my desire to exercise further is about body image. It comes in a mixed bag as my body lets me know when it needs to move and I honour that with walks and gentle exercise. But I have to be aware of when there is that extra push in there that comes from my views about my body. I built a lot of hardness into by body which I have been shedding over the last few years and I know that if I exercise because I want my body to look better, I will build all that hardness back in – not something I want to do!